Angry, sore and frustrated....Smith Machine

Josalinn

Please no one say "oh that's not heavy" to any of my loads. They are heavy to me, and that is all that matters

So I just started "heavy lifting" on wednesday and have been sore since. Ok Fine I accepted this before I started. My gym has 4 Smith Racks, and 1 Power rack which is tucked way back in a corner, which I found today.

I went to the gym today to do workout plan B of the 5x5 and about half way through I thought, This doesn't feel right. So I clean up my space and wander and find the power rack. I try to do the overhead press. OMG am I weak! that stupid 45 pound bar bested me. Ok so I put the bar back, thouroughly embarrassed and go over to the mats to do prone bridges. I can't do a chin up and I need to order a resistance band.

I do my stretches (trying to do a split eventually) and shower and leave. I get home and google "life fitness racks," look through the images until I find one that looks right and lo and behold the machine that has been giving me grief is a Smith Machine.

So then I google how to use it. And I find this "10 Reasons Why Squatting In The Smith Machine Sucks" on the StrongLifts website where I got the 5x5 program in the firstplace.

So now I feel like a dummy although I am happy I figured it out now after 2 sessions instead of like all the way at the end.

So I guess I'm gonna be doing 5 sets of 1 rep for a while until I get used to the PROPER way to do things. Also the Power Rack looks like this:
How the hell you do dead lifts? Are you supposed to steal a bar from the bench press?

Bardane

Yep thats what I do. Upsets the young bicep studs, but works for me :devil:

hungryhobbit1

Yeah, you don't do deadlifts in the cage. Take a bar from over in the bench press area.

You'll be happier in the cage for squats though, I wish my gym had one.

kairisika

If your gym only has bars on the bench racks, then yes, steal one from there. Nothing wrong with that.

If you're trying to do 5x5, then do 5x5, and adjust your weight as needed, rather than sticking with a given weight and doing 5x1.
If that means you start squatting with no weight and just your body, that's totally fine. You can move up to dumbbells, and then up to a bar with no weight on it.
There's nothing wrong with using weights of any amount as long as they are what you need.

Yanicka1

I take the horizontal bars off, put the oly bar at the lowest place, load the bar then put it on the floor.

Josalinn

If your gym only has bars on the bench racks, then yes, steal one from there. Nothing wrong with that.

If you're trying to do 5x5, then do 5x5, and adjust your weight as needed, rather than sticking with a given weight and doing 5x1.
If that means you start squatting with no weight and just your body, that's totally fine. You can move up to dumbbells, and then up to a bar with no weight on it.
There's nothing wrong with using weights of any amount as long as they are what you need.

unfortunately I can't go lighter than the bar itself, which is what I am struggling with, for the overhead press at least. I think I saw another type of bar floating around today that looked lighter too.

I think I am going to try going earlier in the day too , maybe there will not be as many people.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and hearing me vent

BondBomb

I remember when I decided to 'get off' of the smith machine.
I was so intimidated. Now I feel silly for ever using it.

kairisika

Why can't you go lighter than the bar itself?
Does your gym not have dumbbells? A 45lb bar IS a lot to start with.
At many gyms, there are mini-bars, sometimes with fixed weights that work well.
Again, dumbbells doing 5x5 is much closer to the program than 5x1 with the bar.
Be creative. You could lift empty milk jugs refilled with water or something.
There should be options other than the bar.


And yes, smith machines are brutal. Never use them. Anyone.

tenajh

We have a Smith machine at my gym, my trainer even told me ( as well as my chiropractor ) it would be bad on my back. I worked my upper body for 2 months, but am able to bench press 45 # now, can do 3 sets of 8 reps. I too think it is heavy, but highly doubt I would have been able to do this before I started my upper body workouts. Congrats to you -- for your determination.

mrwonderful63

When I was super out of shape and starting up me and my trainer used the smith machine. Its not bad to start on the smith machine. When you feel comfortable try doing box squats. Then finally regular squats. Just make sure you feel comfortable whatever you are doing and using proper form. We all start some where.