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The Smith machine is the equipment parallel to High Intensity
Training. On one hand, it's been called more dirty names
than Madonna on a trip to the Vatican. On the other hand,
there are those who vehemently adhere to it in spite of the fact
that it's an inferior way to train.
I'm about as anti-machine a guy as you'll ever meet,
but I'm also open-minded enough to realize that as is the case
with most things in life, the answer rests somewhere in the
middle.
I'll be the first to admit that if I was to outfit a
training center tomorrow, I wouldn't put a Smith machine in
it. Beyond the obvious injury risks associated with a fixed
line of motion on the exercises people normally perform on
this machine, it just makes no sense financially.
Why spend $1,200 on a coat rack when I could buy one at Wal-Mart
for $19.99 and use the leftover cash to pick up a glute-ham raise,
some Jump-Stretch bands, and surprise TC with that Russian mail
order bride he's coveted for so long?

Unfortunately, it's a moot point, as many gym-owners have
already made their purchase and devoted precious floor space to
it. That's not to say, however, that we can't work
with the situation and make lemonade out of rotten lemons.
With that said, here are ten ways to make the Smith machine eyesore
more attractive:


#1-5: Hurdle-Drills
Mobility is a fundamental prerequisite to all human
movement. Unlike the shoulder, which is a ball-and-socket
joint designed for mobility at the expense of stability, the hip is
a stable joint that is often deprived of mobility, especially in
our increasingly sedentary society.
While the shoulder responds well to stability-oriented training,
the hip requires significant attention to maintain adequate range
of motion and soft tissue health. Mike Robertson and I go
into great detail on this topic in our upcoming DVD,
"Magnificent Mobility," but in the meantime, here are
some Smith machine options you can use to start to get those hips
loose. Perform these movements prior to lifting sessions and
on off-days.
1. Anterior-Posterior Step-Overs: Think of
yourself as a hurdler on these; really try to "open up the
groin" as you maintain good posture throughout the
movement. Try to keep the torso upright; if you have to
sidebend to get your leg over the bar, lower the setting and focus
on working at the hips — not the spine.
2. Lateral Step-Overs: Again, keep your chest up
and focus on working purely at the hips.
3. Lateral Duck-Unders: Now, we can start working
toward improving your flexibility for squats and pulls from the
floor. Keep your eyes looking straight ahead and fight to keep a
neutral spine. You can perform this movement with a more
upright stance (as with a squat) and higher bar placement, or with
more forward lean (as with a deadlift); the video depicts the
forward lean version, which requires that you set the bar a bit
lower.
4. Lateral Under-Overs: We'll once again
increase exercise complexity — this time by integrating the
"under" and the "over." This is not only
a great mobility drill, but also an excellent teaching tool for
change of direction with athletes. The exaggerated ranges of
motion and precise manipulation of foot placement required at a
brisk pace can rapidly improve the ability to maintain one's
center of gravity within a base of support.
Notice in the video that the feet are not shuffled at all
between the "under" and "over" phases of the
movement; it's just deceleration, stabilization, and change of
direction. Most beginners will find themselves so tentative
and kinesthetically unaware that they'll practically be tap
dancing.
5. Lateral Duck-Under to Warrior Lunge: This is
without a doubt my favorite of the bunch, mostly because I've
never seen anyone other than UCONN's Chris West and I use it
(we like to feel special)!
Virtually everyone has tight hip flexors, poor frontal plane
stability, and a complete lack of hip mobility; why not address all
these problems in one shebang? You'll need to reposition
your foot as you transition from the duck under to warrior lunge;
just make sure that it's pointing straight ahead as you reach
overhead. It'll take some experimentation to get the
foot position down, but you'll be rewarded for your efforts
with healthy hips and improved performance.
In the warrior lunge component, reach directly overhead, push
the hips down, and look for a deep stretch in the front of the
trailing leg's hip. You shouldn't be leaning
back.

6. Fixed Bar Extensions (with or without blast
straps)
Are you sick and tired of boring extensions and
pressdowns? Fixed bar extensions can give you a little more
bang for your buck, as they require more core stability and,
depending on how you perform them, can recruit more of the humeral
extensors (i.e. lats). These can be performed with your feet
on the floor or on a bench, and as the movement gets too easy,
either lower the bar, put on an X-Vest, or if you're Greg
Valentino after a fresh Synthol dosing, have a few training
partners sit on your back.

Eat your Wheaties, kids.
Here's the video:
Another way to increase the difficulty of the movement is to
hang from some of those straps people use for hanging leg raises,
although you'll be more comfortable with blast straps, which
will also enable you to do suspended push-ups. You can pick
some up at Elite Fitness.
7. Push-up Progressions
Whether you're training healthy or injured individuals; men
or women; or geriatric clients or elite athletes, you can
progressively increase the difficulty of push-up variations by
gradually lowering the bar toward the floor. Deconditioned,
injured, and novice individuals can improve their pressing strength
and core stability simultaneously with the push-up at progressively
lower heights. Conversely, healthy lifters in pursuit of
one-arm push-up glory can build toward their goal in the same
way.