The engineering aspects of home gym equipment are fairly straight forward but that does not mean there have not been some important technological breakthroughs in the last half century. One of the most important equipment innovations has been the conversion of the power rack into the Smith Machine! The Smith Machine is a first class upgrade to the standard power rack and it is ideal for working out in your own home gyms and also at the local club. Here are 3 pertinent reasons why you should check it out:

It is always an important to consider what other professionals in the industry are saying about your potential home gym equipment purchase. The king of body building Arnold Schwarzenegger was a strong advocate of using the Smith Machine as part of his training program. He believed that the Smith Machine was ideal for performing squats because it allows you to place your feet farther forward without fear of losing your balance. The rails keep you in place and this allows you to achieve a maximum thigh burn without falling backwards. This exercise method is ideal for lower weight loads and higher repetitions. High reps is a core body building principle because it encourages muscle gain and definition. Compare this high repetition workout program to power lifting where lower reps and heavier weight loads are commonly recommended.

The Smith Machine features rails which were designed to keep your form/posture correct when doing squats, military press, bench and other exercises. The rails act as guides that keep you in line and don't let you drift when you are maxing out with heavy sets or lots of reps. This element of the Smith Machine does have its critics however. Their main gripe is that when you are locked inside the rails for your sets the machine is doing the work that normally your stabilizer muscles would be doing instead. This can be seen as a negative because it may not be a complete workout. You may notice that weights seem a bit lighter inside the Smith Machine as compared to when you are using the traditional power rack. It is mainly a matter of preference.

When you are working out in your home gym you do not always have a spotter handy to keep an eye on things. Until now this made it difficult to workout with Olympic weights in your own home gym. The invention of the Smith Machine provided a much needed element of safety. This is also an important consideration when you are working out at the local Club. Not all potential spotters know what they are doing and this could result in an injury if your spotter reacts late or not at all. You must have a competent spotter when you are doing strenuous lifts. The Smith Machine features rails on the side walls of the rack in which the Olympic bar has been embedded. There are 2 hooks in the Olympic bar that sit inside the rails and by simply turning your wrists you can catch the bar on one of the 11 metal rungs inside the rail enclosure. Thus, you have a self spotting mechanism. This enables you to workout at the club or in your own home gym without jeopardizing your safety.

Whether you are a body builder or a power lifter the Smith Machine is an excellent addition to your home gym for the safety and technique aspect. This is a great reason to switch over or at least incorporate the Smith Machine into your workout routine. Smith machines are very affordable and come with strong warranty protection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edwin_M.