Introduction
A number of “Smith machine” prototype attachments have surfaced, and there is seemingly more interest in them within the home gym commentary.
Therefore, we decided to ask the community a few questions about the topic.
Here is a quick discussion on YouTube on the results & topic and below are the results to quickly scan.
60% Believe Smith Machine Popularity will Improve in Home Gyms
There is Potential with a Fully Rack Attached Smith Machine
Outside of a standalone smith machine, there appear to be three different “style options” on the horizon (or already available). These examples include:
- Fully Rack Attached – like Bells of Steel showcased at HomeGymCon.
- VTS – Another rack-attached option that includes a trolley-like system.
- All-in-Ones – there are plenty of these on the market and a prime example would be an option from Force USA.
With that being said, the “fully rack attached” option received the most votes among the three, with 25% of the votes (many were very impressed by what Bells of Steel showcased at HomeGymCon).
The votes were pretty spread out, though. The VTS came in second with 21% of the votes, and All-in-Ones were the last choice with 19%.
The most popular answer was still “I’m not educated enough to answer,” so these results could definitely shift in the future.
What would I choose?
For a while now, I’ve been a big proponent of having two racks (if you can). I’d rather build off of two racks than add individual machines.
One is for doing standalone bench, squat, and pressing, which I prefer a “clean rack” with minimal attachments to perform lifts in space.
Then another, where I can do accessory work like on a smith machine.
I personally love how the smith machine integrates so easily into most all-in-ones, so I’d most likely lean in to that option.
