Just done some REAL Bench Presses

Interestingly there is a study that begs to differ. Some feel the Smith machine is inferior to free weights. The benefits of free weights over Smith machines may be overstated. Researchers at Drake University , Iowa tested the premise and found that lifters were able to lift greater amounts on free weights than they were on a Smith machine. As reported in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, bench press strength was about 16% higher for the free-weight bench press as compared to the Smith machine bench press. However, squat strength was about 4% greater for the Smith machine as compared to the free-weight squat. I believe you can get Smith machines now that allow for a slightly less stricter range of movement.

With me I could always move more on a barbell than the Smith. Guessing but maybe it had more to do with form- shoulders doing more of the work as opposed to isolating the chest on the machine?
Edit remembered the name duh on me for forgetting it is called the Jones machine.
 
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Have to agree with dun, it does seem physically improbable for that to be true, since the smith machine surely requires less effort to push the same weight.
 
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Alex_6n2 said:
Make sure your pressing all the way down to your chest as well. Otherwise it's still not real :P

As above, I had to use more machines after I buggered my rotator cuff doing DB shoulder presses (My spotter was chatting :/). They are fine for isolation but free weight do give a more "full" work out.
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yup, there are plenty of reasons to use machines, if you're ignoring machines purely because of how much better freeweights are, you're likely loseing out. use a bit of everything when the time is right.

Huge imbalance in strength leads to injury, a little inbalance can help push a muscle group(suppor or main) past its plateau.


But its the same things over and over, just like whey protein isn't inferior to meat for protien. Meat is a meal, whey protein on its own is an inferior MEAL while being actually a superior protein, you have to add things to make it a meal.

Likewise A smith machine isn't necessarily inferior to whatever freeweight equivilent is. IN essense that smith machine is a single exercise for a single muscle, its likely a better exercise for that SINGLE muscle, but the freeweight is essentially a compound lift involving many more muscle groups, that doesn't make it better, just different. if your goal is to work out all those muscles its better, if your goal is to push one muscle to its hardest while not pushing anything else that workout, its inferior.


Use whatever is suitable for the goal you want to achieve that day without preconceptions of which is best and which sucks.
 
Machines are great for a follow up or a superset as you can focus solely on the isolated muscle groups. To build overall strength I would still argue that freeweights are superior, but in conjucntion with one another they work very very well together and shouldn't be ignored.
 
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