Is the Smith Machine Really All That Bad?

If you lift in a gym, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve seen a smith machine before. If you don’t what that is, it’s the machine in the picture below. You’ll often hear people saying that the smith machine is bad for one reason or another.

People will tell you that it’s the worst piece of gym equipment you could ever use. Others will tell you that it’s for cowards and wimps. People interested in gym science might tell you that it’s dangerous to use a smith machine.