Tamir also likes the Smith machine for practicing squats.

Most people can’t do a proper push-up, and this simulates doing a push-up against a wall if you have it in a low position-you can progress, moving the bar lower and lower over time.” “You can use it to overhead press, deadlift, do hips thrusts, side bends for the core, pull-ups if you lock it in a high position, and even lie on the floor and push it up to use it for a leg press,” says Tamir.

Exactly How to Do a Squat the Right Way.

“You can set up bottom springs on the machine, which allows you to limit the range of motion, and there are locking mechanisms, so you don’t need a spotter,” explains Noam Tamir, certified strength and conditioning specialist and owner and head trainer at TS Fitness in New York City. The machine also has some elements that increase the safety of some exercises. “Because the bar is attached to the rack, fewer stabilizing muscles are needed, which makes Smith machine exercises slightly easier than the same exercise done using free weights,” says Jason Fitzgerald, a USATF-certified coach and creator of Strength Running. The Smith machine is a piece of fitness equipment commonly found in most gyms that features a barbell fixed to a squat rack, limiting movement to one single plane.

But the weight room at the gym (if you’re able to get to one safely right now) can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with certain machines like a Smith machine. Not only can it improve your speed and form, but it can also help prevent injuries by strengthening your muscles and evening out imbalances. Strength training is integral to your long-term running game.

Smith machine exercises chart pdf