Why does any gym have a Smith Machine?

[Kevin99]

Is there a plausible use I'm overlooking, or is this dumber than taking a five year-old to a strip club (and forgetting to instruct him not to tell Mom)?

As I understand it, the basic idea of one of these things is that you can move weight using pretty much any form, standing pretty much anywhere, as long as you're exerting some partially upward force on the bar. That strikes me as extremely dangerous, a near-guarantee of an injury. So it's not just an ego-boosting device, but a fitness bag o' glass.

Or am I missing something? Are Smith Machines potentially useful for front squats? Rehab? Why would otherwise litigation-fearing business owners allow one of these things to enter their facilities?

What would you do if someone attempted to sell you a Smith Machine for use at WFAC?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Smith machines are an industry tool that takes the balance component -- and thus the need for expensive instruction -- out of barbell training.

What would you do if someone attempted to sell you a Smith Machine for use at WFAC?

I would kill him. Obviously.

[mikeylikey]

Is there a plausible use I'm overlooking, or is this dumber than taking a five year-old to a strip club (and forgetting to instruct him not to tell Mom)?

Hell yes there are plausible uses. Dude, I love the Smith Machine at my gym. Let me count the ways:

1) It's the only place I can do chins
2) I can slide benches under it when I need room to power clean
3) It keeps people out of the squat rack
4) It keeps people out of the squat rack
5) It's great for benching when I don't have a spotter.

Just kidding about that last one Rip.

[newguy32]

Smith machines are an industry tool that takes the balance component -- and thus the need for expensive instruction -- out of barbell training.

Which then explains the tremendous need for bosu ball exercises? Brilliant!

[Ello]

I would kill him. Obviously.

This is the kick start I needed this morning. Good laughs, good times.

[Mark Edward]

If you look at Steve Pulcinella's training log on EliteFTS, you'll see that he's been using his Smith machine while he recovers from his detached quad. So maybe they have a legitimate use for cripples.

[Carlos Daniel]

I have said this before and I will say it again: the smith machine is wonderful in that it keeps people away from the squat rack so that I can be left alone while I squat. It works well as a chin-up station too.

And the only real injury I got while lifting I got doing "squats" on the smith machine. The damn thing kept me from actually squatting with a barbell for more than a month.

[Josh306]

In the absence of a decent pullup bar at my gym, I put the smith machine bar to the top pins and do pullups on it. Works nicely.

[Dana]

They're good for all kinds of things. Just not any of the things that they were built for.

Look, it's a bar (like a pullup bar) that can be moved up and down. That is a useful thing. Do they need to exist? No. Are they useful. Yes.

[ARD]

That is a useful thing. Do they need to exist? No. Are they useful. Yes.

I love to see people doing their squats with the Smith Machine, because they do not occupy the squat rack