The Choices
There seem to be four primary Smith Machine options for home gym owners right now, and I just asked which would be best for you.
- Fully Rack-Attached Add-On: A Smith Machine attachment designed to integrate with power racks. Currently, Bells of Steel is the only company offering this in the USA.
- VTS Style: A versatile trolley system that offers Smith Machine functionality along with additional features and attachments.
- Built-In All-in-Ones: Power racks with integrated Smith Machine and pulley systems. Examples include models from Force USA and Vesta.
- Standalone Smith Machine: A traditional Smith Machine with no additional features.
The Results
We polled the community, and there was a pretty clear winner.
The fully rack-attached add-on (Bells of Steel) is the most popular option for home gyms, with 46.7% of votes. The VTS system (Bulletproof Fitness) comes in second with 24.8% of the votes, followed by the standalone Smith Machine with 16.5% of the votes. The built-in all-in-ones (Force USA/Vesta) is the least popular option, receiving only 12% of the votes.
The Results from 6 Months Ago
A similar poll was run about six months ago, and the results are a fair amount different.
Six months ago, we included an “I’m not educated enough to answer” rather than “Standalone Smith Machine.”
35% went with the “I’m not educated enough to answer” option, and the results between the other three options were much closer than what we saw with the fully rack attached option winning by a large margin.