Pinching the smith machine

[Roark]

The gym where I train added a new Smith Machine

today. It was named after Rudy Smith, not Robert

Smith as one of those Training For Dummies books

tells you. Anyway, I was fooling around and placed

a 2 x 4 under the bar of the machine and lifted-

a good, safe way to perform pinch holds- just clear

the support pin and when you fail the bar settles

back into its place.

One handed or two handed, and I can foresee some-

one notching out the top of a shot put so that the

Smith bar settles flush into the shot and holds can

be performed this way.

Maybe not the best solution, but something for

the thought bank.

[paul valpreda]

Roark,

That sounds like an interesting idea, and since my gym has an over-abundance of Smith machines available, I won't have to wait in line to try this! Finally, a worthwhile exercise that can be performed on a Smith machine. Maybe they have a useful purpose after all...

[Guest DavidHW]

Roark:

I tried this yesterday at my gym. Great workout. I found a 4x4 piece of wood someone had been using for their heels while squatting and stuck it under the bar. Really worked the grip, let me tell you. I got an idea though that might make things even better.

(1) Take your 2x4 or 4x4 or whatever and saw it in half, lengthwise.

(2) Using a lathe, notch out a hemisphere-shaped indentation lengthwise down the center of each board, so that when the two halves are put together, they make a tight seal around the Smith machine's bar.

(3) Glue some velcro straps to the boards so that you can take the two halves to the gym, place them on the bar, and then wrap them tightly together using the velcro.

(4) Voila! A very stable pinch machine with all the weight you care to add.

FWIW.

David