Smith Machines - good or bad?

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 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

"David Cohen" <sammiesdad.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote in
news:1127532678.721800.63500@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> DZ wrote:
>> Hugh Beyer <beyerxyzzy.RemoveThis@acm.org> wrote:
>> > "David Cohen" <sammiesdad.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote
>> >> Hugh Beyer wrote:
>> >>> "David Cohen" <sammiesdad.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote
>> >>>
>> >>>> Look at the human spine. NOT linear. Our spines were designed, by
>> >>>> evolution or God (pick one),
>> >>>
>> >>> Why only one?
>> >>
>> >> Mutual exclusivity.
>> >
>> > Nonsense.
>> >
>> > I hammered together a chicken coop this summer. Was the coop made by
>> > the hammer or by me?
>>
>> Nonsense. It was designed by God, and you're just a tool in his
>> gaysome hand.
>
> If it had been designed by God, the wind won't have knocked it over and
> let the coyote eat the chickens.
>
> God does not play dice with the chickens.
>

Beat me to it.

If that coop was designed by God, I'm becoming an atheist.

Hugh

(The wind, by the way, will not knock it over. A tactical nuke, maybe.)


--
Exercise is a dirty word. Whenever I hear it, I wash my mouth out with
chocolate. ("Ladi")
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

General Grievous wrote:
> I tried one today... not sure if I liked it or not...
>
> 1) do you really feel this machine helps place
> less stress onthe lower back?
>
> 2) Where do your feet really belong when you do this
> exercise, and where should your knees end up, behind
> your toes, or in front?

So, why do you want to use a smith machine in the first place? When you
do free weight squats it hurts your back?
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

"and where should your knees end up, behind
your toes, or in front? "

If you keep your knees from going past the tip of your toes, it places
much less stress on your knees.

Dan Lagerstedt
Certified Personal Trainer
http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/trainerhome.asp?uname=newenglandcft
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

General Grievous wrote:
> This thread had so much potential!

Last year about this time I started to realize I could not handle my Smith
machine anymore. Ie I could not add any more weight without feeling like my
back was breaking at the lowest point. When heavily loaded my body did not
want to move in the same direction as the machine was making me. I finally
switched gyms to one that has a Powerrack. Mfw advice helped me lots in my
decision. It did not take long before I was putting on the same weights on a
free barbell squat as I did in the machine. Just to show how it actually
hindered me more than it helped me. Weights aren't all that impressive like
I do 3*8 at 80 kg. However if that's on a free bar I should be able to do
lots more in the machine which I couldn't. Besides, I feel lots stronger now
having built all the stabilizing muscles too.

--
Perre
I gave up on SPAM and redirected it to hotmail instead.
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

"David Cohen" <sammiesdad.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message

> God does not play dice with the chickens.
>

But I understand he plays the occasional poker game with them.
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

In article <1127532556.168071.257260.TakeThisOut@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"David Cohen" <sammiesdad.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

> John wrote:
> > "David Cohen" <sammiesdad.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote
> > > Bob Garrison wrote:
> > > > "General Grievous" <dallasmaximus.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote
> > > > >I tried one today... not sure if I liked it or not...
> > > > >
> > > > > 1) do you really feel this machine helps place
> > > > > less stress onthe lower back?
> > > >
> > > > All I can tell you is it places less stress on MY back.
> > >
> > > I'm willing to accept that you FEEL it places less stress on your back,
> > > but, unfortunately, biomechanics says otherwise.
> > >
> > > Look at a well done barbell squat from the side. NOT linear.
> > >
> > > Look at the human spine. NOT linear. Our spines were designed, by
> > > evolution or God (pick one), to be a horizontal non-load bearing
> > > support structure of a four legged creature. Then those freakin'
> > > proto-apes just HAD to stand up. And their spines adapted as best they
> > > could, primarily by curving in a number of places.
> > >
> > > Look at the path of the bar of a Smith machine squat. Designed for a
> > > non-humanoid creature.
> > >
> > > Are you a non-humanoid, Bob? A Denibian slime worm? A Jovian fire
> > > dragon? NO!
> >
> > Pick one, but you just implied that we were on all fours; therefore, it
> > could only be evolution?
>
> I was throwing a bone to those who wanted to have it both ways, with
> God creating evolution at some point. That way, they can sound like
> rational persons by saying "of course evolution is reality" but still
> satisfy that irrational human need for a supreme being by saying "but
> God created the Universe and the natural laws which lead to evolution".
>
> David
>

My housemate calls it "The Celestial Engineer".
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

In article <0vp9j1h7j07nmi2t94mgus1d0hcg41janv RemoveThis @4ax.com>,
General Grievous <dallasmaximus RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote:

> This thread had so much potential!
>

Looks good from here.
I love thread drift......
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

In article <yc6dnVOp09fw0ajeRVn-qA.DeleteThis@comcast.com>, "Ranieri" <uh, nah>
wrote:

> "David Cohen" <sammiesdad.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> > God does not play dice with the chickens.
> >
>
> But I understand he plays the occasional poker game with them.
>
>

That was bad.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 12:48:24 -0400, "Bob Garrison"
<bobnsg63.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Yeah well between food stamps, welfare and Section 8 you are supporting me.

Me too! Ain't america grand?
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

On 24 Sep 2005 06:07:21 -0700, "zoo" <AndKeif DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:

>
>General Grievous wrote:
>> I tried one today... not sure if I liked it or not...
>>
>> 1) do you really feel this machine helps place
>> less stress onthe lower back?
>>
>> 2) Where do your feet really belong when you do this
>> exercise, and where should your knees end up, behind
>> your toes, or in front?
>
>So, why do you want to use a smith machine in the first place? When you
>do free weight squats it hurts your back?

cause I have no spotter..
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

On 24 Sep 2005 06:43:50 -0700, "Personal Trainer"
<dlagerst DeleteThis @pshift.com> wrote:

>"and where should your knees end up, behind
>your toes, or in front? "
>
>If you keep your knees from going past the tip of your toes, it places
>much less stress on your knees.
>
>Dan Lagerstedt
>Certified Personal Trainer
>http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/trainerhome.asp?uname=newenglandcft

Im 6 ft 2 and find it difficult to keep my knees from going forward...
and if I try to "sit down behind me" as if getting into a chair, I
fall over!
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad? 

"General Grievous" <dallasmaximus.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:lu7bj1tf11eihljsdjs5rncslghv1ol8i3@4ax.com...
>
> Im 6 ft 2 and find it difficult to keep my knees from going forward...
> and if I try to "sit down behind me" as if getting into a chair, I
> fall over!

I'm torn between:

A) if you are falling over forward, try lifting your toes, and
B) try a progression: find a bench that is the proper height..
1) stand up and sit down 5 times. Keep your back straight.
2) stand up, start to sit down but stand up as soon as your rear
touches the bench. Do this 5 times. Again, keep your back
straight. You may want to try holding your hands straight
in front of you (straight arms) to get used to the change in
balance. The bench shouldn't ever hold your weight.
3) put the bar on your back (no additional weight). Do step 2
again.
4) try either adding some weight and doing step 3 again, or
stepping away from the bench and trying to duplicate the
motion. If you can't duplicate the motion without the
bench, then keep practicing with the bench.

Method "B" is a type of box squat. Since you aren't putting your
weight on the bench once you get to step 2, you can use a crate or
other object.

Art
 >> Stay informed about: Smith Machines - good or bad?