Are Smith machine leg workouts are worth it? The Smith machine has many benefits and you can use it for many different useful exercises. After reading this article you’ll understand that people who say smith’s machines are worthless and are not useful enough to take up space in the gym are not right. It might have some disadvantages. But by choosing the right exercises and doing the right movements you can turn them into advantages. In this article, you are going to learn about different exercises you can do on the Smith machine.
List of the best Smith machine leg workouts:
There are plenty more smith machine leg workouts you can do with it but here are some of the most popular ones.
1. Behind-the-Back Shrug with Smith machine:
You can do this trap insolation movement from both front and back. But when you are grabbing the bar from the back ie when it is behind you, you move further away from the bar. This helps you to move the bar higher. This way you can get better trap isolation and shoulder stability.
2. Variations of traditional squats:
Rather than doing your regular, traditional squats on the Smith machine, you should go for variations. This smith machine leg workout helps you to focus on specific muscles. And provide better results than normal squats with the smith machine.
Here are some variations of traditional squats that you can do on the Smith machine if you want to bring verity in your routine.
3. Hack squats:
Hack squats are another great smith machine leg workout. It will help you focus on specific leg muscles. The placement of your foot in these variations helps you focus on your quadriceps.
4. Front squats:
Front squats are especially beneficial for your progress in the workout when you are tired. With these movements, you can build the larger muscles of the leg.
When you are doing these squats your wrists and smaller leg muscles can rest a little. This leg workout with the Smith machine helps you proceed with your workout without stopping.
5. Split squats:
Doing split squats on the Smith machine is great for targeting your legs. If you are someone who doesn’t want to do regular squats on the Smith machine, split squats are a nice variation to try.
A great thing about most of the split machine leg workouts is that they don’t require you to focus on stability.
6. Kaz Presses
Smith machine exercises also help you build tricep strength. By doing Kaz presses on smith’s machine the instability factor is removed. You can use heavy weights which helps develop muscles for bench press building.
Kaz press helps in building chest and tricep strength so your bench press will become stronger. Compared to free weight extensions this variation is easier on elbow joints.
7. Smith machine hip thrusts:
This exercise helps you build your glute muscles. You should add this workout to your routine if you want to build and strengthen your glutes. This also counts as a great smith machine leg workout.
8. Incline bench press on smith machine leg workouts
By replacing your traditional weights with a Smith machine for bench presses you get multiple benefits. Smith machine allows you to put the bar back into the guides.
So, when you feel you are struggling to keep the bar up you can easily pop it back. This way you can avoid the stress of the bar dropping on top of you.
This variation is great for muscle building. It is also a good option for building chest strength as it supports lifting heavier weights.
9. Split squat on Smith machine:
When you are doing split squats with a Smith machine you have more stable movement. This way you can lengthen your stride. This smith machine leg workout will help you with better hip flexion and trains your weaker leg better.
It also allows greater gluteus maximus stretch. Smith split squats help to strengthen your quads, glutes, and leg muscles.
10. Split lunges on Smith machine:
As the Smith machine helps in more stable movements, it is great for split squats. When you don’t give to worry about the stability of the bar you can focus on the movements.
This helps you increase your help flexion by lengthening your stance. This leg workout on the Smith machine also helps you to increase the stretch in your gluteus maximus muscles.
11. Bent over rows:
If your primary focus is to build a strong back bent-over row is a great exercise. When you are doing this weight with free weights you have to focus on the stability of the bar. And use your stabilizing muscles.
With the Smith machine, you don’t have to worry about stability so you can focus on lifting weights. This helps you in lifting heavier weights than you can with free weights.
12. Single leg deadlift:
To focus on glutes, hamstring muscles and erector spinae single leg deadlift is a great exercise. It is a variation of stiff leg deadlifts that can be performed well with the Smith machine.
When you are doing this movement, the smaller muscles which help instability are not working a lot.
You don’t have to worry about stabilizing the bar in the smith machine. Therefore you can focus on strengthening the larger muscles.
13. Standing calf raises:
Are you someone looking for smith machine leg workouts? Are you trying to build bigger calves and make them stronger? If yes, a smith machine can help you. You can do both standings and seated calve raises on the Smith machine.
Is the Smith machine a piece of good or bad equipment?
It is not right to call this equipment good or bad. Just like any other workout tool, it is another machine to help you work out. You can love it or hate it and it is totally up to you if you want to incorporate smith machine workouts in your training.
But, when you learn the proper way to use it and choose the right movements it will help you build muscle and make your workout more efficient. It offers both leg workouts for men and leg workouts for women. You only have to research well on which movements to do.
Many people say that it is not a functioning tool and has more chances to lead to injury. Some even say that exercises done on the Smith machine are kind of cheating.
The reality is that this machine is just another tool that you can use or avoid according to your preference.
Conclusion:
Like any other tool for example dumbbells, barbells are other free weights smith machines are also just equipment. When you learn it the right way and do the right exercises with it, it will help you a lot.
Especially for leg muscle building, smith machine leg workouts are a great option. With Smith machine workouts you don’t have to focus on stability like that in free weights or leg workouts at home.
This way you can focus on lifting the weights only and it helps you lift heavier weights. Choose the right exercises and you with love this equipment like any other. Make sure that you are using the right angle.
