The Best Home Gym And Smith Machines For Home Use

The Best Gym's And Smith Machine Frames for Home Use

Resistance training is the most efficient form of training for fat loss and muscle gain. A well scheduled weight training program can make long bouts of cardiovascular exercise obsolete, not only do you gain strength and flexibility but workouts are extremely time efficient. With just three thirty minute workouts a week you will see faster and better results than ever before. There are so many benefits to resistance training it would be tough to list them all, but the majority of people still choose cardiovascular machines over weights.

Home gyms offer you the chance to master new exercises without being disturbed at the gym, the ability to be able to perform any scheduled exercise exactly when you want to, without someone else hogging that machine is hugely overrated. A quality home gym will be able to deliver all of the main lifts such as squats, pulls ups, deadlifts, bench press, dips and shoulder press, as well as accessory exercises such as bicep curls, tricep extensions and ab crunches.

Factors To Consider When Choosing A Home Gym

First you should decide what type of resistance training most suits your goal. If your goal is building muscle look out for ‘Bodybuilding Training’ or “Strength Training’ in the Good For category. These machines offer the ability to train a great variety of muscle with heavy weight and different angles. If your goal is to move and perform better look out for ‘Functional Training’ or 'Customization’ in the Good For category. These usually have bodyweight and cable machine training sections and allow you to move more freely than just a simple fixed machine. Below we will outline the best benefit of each machine to try to suit your needs a closely as possible, look out for the ‘Good For’ section where you will find:

1. Bodybuilding Training

If your goal is to build muscle, machines must be able to cater for heavy weight. Top home gyms have squat racks, leg developers, butterfly arms and even leg presses.

2. Strength Training

If your goal is to get strong, opt for a machine that has a free bar and weight plate storage pins. You will need these free weights as well as the fixed machine option.

3. Functional Training

If your goal is to move or perform better look for options that have adjustable cable systems and bodyweight sections.

4. Customizing

Some machines offer a range of adjustment abilities and attachments.

5. Space Saving

If space is an issue follow the guide carefully you will find a option that has all your favourite exercises in a compact machine.

6. Durability

All of our picks are high quality machines with warranties, just make sure the amount what you want to be able to lift fits the machines purpose.

Classic Home Gym Workout Routines [Video]

What Home Gym Features Do You Need?

Once you have decided on your goal and what type of training you enjoy we can help you further in choosing the right machine by breaking down some of its features. In both categories we advise to not spend any less than $700, cheap machines often rattle and wobble, as well as break and run out of usable weight very quickly. Strength Training machines should have a solid frame and a large base, the best options have the ability to hold a separate olympic bar with storage pins for weight plates. This is because if your training properly you will want a large range of extra weights to keep on improving.

A great home gym should also give you the ability to train the whole body as well as smaller muscle groups, leg developers and cable machines generally come as standard. For Functional Training an adjustable swivel cable pulley system is preferred, the more adjustments and cable attachments the better. You want to be able to hit and stretch muscles in as many different positions as possible. These machines should allow to you to master bodyweight training, they should either cater for pull ups, leg raise and incline press ups or take the weight of you and an added TRX band.

Do You Need Space Saving Home Gym?

Strength Training home gyms are generally large and bulky, if your serious about training you’ll know this isn't a bad thing as you need it to with stand a lot of pressure for smooth and safe lifting. Some companies such as Bowflex excel in innovative designs offering equipment that has a smaller floor plan but still has the ability to hold 300lbs of weight and not wobble. The functional training options are a lot easier to manage in small spaces, some fit into door ways or anchor onto walls. They look tidy and are not over imposing, check all the dimensions carefully before purchasing we've outline the measurements below to help.

Home Gym Warranties

Slightly less comprehensive than treadmills and ellipticals, mainly because the company doesn't know how heavy you will be lifting and how often. Options that say strength training and durability in the Good For section will generally be a great investment long term for heavy lifters, some have lifetime warranties on parts but use them properly, give them a splash of oil now and then and you should be fine for a lifetime of regular use. Functional Training options may not be able to last repetitive heavy use as thats not what they are designed for, most of the options below will give you a guide on which exercises to use which will make sure it lasts you long term. Either way your going to save a bundle of money of gym memberships.

Trusted Independent Home Gym Reviews

Our reviews are totally authentic because our editor Luke, is a leading authority in health and fitness. Known for his credibility and myth busting in an industry filled with money making schemes, fads and conflicting information. With over a decade of experience Luke writes courses for Personal Trainers on how to use certain fitness equipment and also helps design home gyms for Royalty in the Middle East.

A Typical Smith Machine Workout [Video]

Examples of Smith Machine Workouts

A Smith Cage (or Smith Machine) is an ideal workout apparatus as it can be used to exercise virtually all body muscles. Simply put, it is a barbell on a track within a squat rack. Weight lifting  is usually more effective than using conventional free barbells or dumbbells, mostly because with the Smith machine you do not have to struggle for balance.

Using a Smith Cage, weights usually go straight up - with the exception of a few machines that have an angled trajectory. Here are some exercises that you should include in your workout routine to exercise your arms, chest and legs:

1. Smith Machine Workout for Arms

One work out that can really help you build arm muscle or simply tone your arms is the biceps curl.

To execute this workout, you need to stand behind the bar, and take an underhand grip. The width of the grip should be equal to your shoulder- width. With your elbows against your sides, and your shoulders down and back, try bringing the bar towards your chest. To achieve this you will have to bend your arms at the elbows. Move the bar as high as you can, and when you have reached your end point, pause a little, lower the bar and start again. Repeat this ten to twelve more times.

Another Smith machine workout that can really help improve your arm muscles is the triceps dip. As the name suggests, it targets the triceps, and it can be executed really fast. You need to set the bar at the height of your hips. Then put your hands on the bar on either side of your hips. Next, you need to straighten your arms and legs, and to bend your elbows. Then lower your body, but remember to keep your shoulders down and your chest high. When your elbows have bent up to right angles, extend the arms and then go back to the beginning. Repeat this about ten times too. 

2. Smith Machine Workouts for Legs

The Smith machine can prove to of invaluable help in helping to shape and tone your legs while at the same time building the strength of your leg muscles.

One very important Smith machine workout that can greatly help you do this is the legendary front squat. To execute it you need to be inside the machine, with the bar across your front. Ensure that your feet are slightly in front of you. To do this correctly, you also need to make sure that your knees are unlocked and that your toes are pointing outwards slightly. Cross your arms, rotate the barbell and then unhook it.

Make sure that the weight of the barbell is one that you can handle in order to lower the risk of injury. Keep your eyes focused ahead, and your abs and chest tight. Then move your knees and hips in a manner that imitates sitting on a chair. Go as far as you possibly can, although the ideal position is to have your thighs nearly parallel to the floor. Repeat this as many times as you possibly can, and watch your legs get into shape and their muscles strengthened in no time.

Alternatively, you can choose to do the leg press workout which is aimed at training the quadriceps. To achieve this, you need to place the bar a little off the floor, but keep it hooked to the track the track. Load the bar with the correct weight. Keep in mind that if you overload it, you might be doing yourself more harm than good. Lie beneath the bar, and place your feet at its center. Move your knees towards your neck, while simultaneously pushing the bar upward with your feet by extending your knees and hips. Make sure not to lock your knees, which is a mistake that many people make when carrying out this workout. Relax a bit when you reach the top, and then repeat the whole workout severally. 

3. Smith Machine Workout for Chest

The chest is unfortunately one of the body parts that get forgotten most of the time during a workout routine. This does not have to be the case when you are using a Smith machine, as there a number of great work outs that you can execute aimed at strengthening your chest muscles.

One such workout is the close grip bench press. Place a flat bench on the inside of the Smith machine, and lay back on it with your feet firmly on the floor. Using an overhand grip, hold the barbell inside your shoulder width. Move the bar up a little in order to unhook it from the track, and then hold it above your chest.

To achieve this, you will have to extend your arms a bit. Then lower the bar with you elbows close to your sides. When the bar is very near your body, pause for a while and then move it back to the starting position. A common mistake that people make when carrying out this exercise is bringing their arms too close together. There is an overwhelming temptation to do so, but in the long run, you will strain your arms and end up hurting yourself. Keep a good distance between your arms, and you will have an easy time doing this.

Another chest workout that is really helpful is the reverse grip bench press. As the name suggests, it is more or less like doing the opposite of the close grip bench press. Here, you will still need to lie on your back on a flat bench, but unlike with the close grip work out, you now need to grip the bar with as wide a reverse grip as you possibly can.

Again, rotate the bar and unhook it, then hold it above your chest, with your arms extended. Then you will have to lower the bar close to your body, but don’t allow it to make contact with your body. Then press the bar upwards as far as your arm can go. Repeat this as many times as you wish. It is a great Smith machine workout for the chest.

If you are looking for the best home gym equipment, then look no further than mygymexpert.com!

How To Use A Smith Machine [Video]