It looks like Smith machines are getting a life-extension, unfortunately…enter the “Jones” machine. In addition to the regular vertical movement, this one moves horizontally (guided, on bearings, naturally) to provide a horizontal force component for your workout.
Of course, it’s still held rigidly in the same two-dimensional plane, which to me makes it unsuitable for (dare I say it) functional strength training. Should be great for curls!
Expect to see this stuff in a Gym near you real soon.
So much engineering talent going into making an expensive, piss-poor machine just a wee bit less piss-poor and probably a lot more expensive. WTF…
When I saw the title of this thread I thought “ha ha, a Jones machine! Nah, he’s not talking about that…” [click] “Oh shit, he is!”
While I can understand the concept Mr Smith was trying to implement with his machine (I don’t agree with it, but I do understand it), I don’t see where this Jones guy is going. Having 2 dimensions to move in is too close to the real thing to warrant its use.
OK, so you can’t fall sideways when squatting in the Jones machine… Has anyone even tried to fall sideways while squatting with a bar? It’s not that easy.
Smith Machine: Little point to it.
Jones Machine: Even less point to it.
Hopefully my gym will buy a couple and people will finally leave me and my power rack alone.
I love the Smith Machine, for calves only, great way to do standing calf raises with a lot of weight. Most max the machine out at 400lbs though. Calves are the only thing I use it for.
I have a home gym. I also have two teenage boys and a wife. When I setup the gym the one thing I was worried about was one of my boys attempting to lift more than they could handle and doing so when no one else was around. Bad things can happen. So I elected to do two things. First I bought into dumbbells (up to 100 lbs).
Second I bought something call a Prospot. I haven’t seen it mentioned on this site before but I can tell you that I’ve been very pleased with it. It provides a measure of safety while still providing free range of motion. Checkout the website for Prospot and tell me what you think.
The two-dimensional Smith Machines have been around for years. This isn’t really new.
I have a ProSpot at my facility. It’s great and has many advantages, but it has a few disadvantages as well. The range of motion doesn’t allow for certain movements (ex: OH Squats), and requires a step or box for certain movements (Rows, DL’s).
[quote]Miserere wrote:
When I saw the title of this thread I thought “ha ha, a Jones machine! Nah, he’s not talking about that…” [click] “Oh shit, he is!”
While I can understand the concept Mr Smith was trying to implement with his machine (I don’t agree with it, but I do understand it), I don’t see where this Jones guy is going. Having 2 dimensions to move in is too close to the real thing to warrant its use.
OK, so you can’t fall sideways when squatting in the Jones machine… Has anyone even tried to fall sideways while squatting with a bar? It’s not that easy.
Smith Machine: Little point to it.
Jones Machine: Even less point to it.
Hopefully my gym will buy a couple and people will finally leave me and my power rack alone.[/quote]
I don’t know - I think the Smith machine does have a little utility. When my wife and I got married, she hadn’t worked out since high school (ten years or so). We started working out and she follows my routine. While her general technique tends to be ok, her technique on power movements isn’t so hot. The smith machine helps her to keep her technique (after a year of showing her how, I have given up). Specifically, on squats, I was starting to worry about her hurting her back with her poor technique.
Do I use the smith machine? No. I probably never will, either.
[quote]FMF wrote:
The two-dimensional Smith Machines have been around for years. This isn’t really new.
I have a ProSpot at my facility. It’s great and has many advantages, but it has a few disadvantages as well. The range of motion doesn’t allow for certain movements (ex: OH Squats), and requires a step or box for certain movements (Rows, DL’s).[/quote]
True. I’d add clean and jerks to the list of what the Prospot can’t do.
However I do deadlifts with my Prospot by standing on a small plaform (4" off the floor). I rotate the bar so the contact is facing downward during the lift. There is a little bit of trick to releasing it (by turning the contact upwards) but once that’s figured out it’s pretty good.
That prospot does look interesting, but I can’t find very many good pictures of it.
Anyone have a good link, maybe with a video?
The cheapest I found was $1100, which is more expensive than a high quality power rack, and I don’t know how high quality the prospot is (as far as being overly strong for heavy weights and having more holes like elitefts sells).
The other thing I was thinking about was that a power rack can be just as safe as this prospot if you set the pins correctly, even for benching.
I can set pins so that I can touch my chest with the bar, but still ‘deflate’ my chest and set the bar on the pins and safely get out from underneath it. Same with squats.
I think when I finally start making my home gym, I’m going to go with a power rack, but I’d still like to check out the prospot some more.
[quote]Miserere wrote:
[highjack]WiZlon, why do you have a bulldog wearing the Union Jack as you avatar?[/highjack][/quote]
Coz I’m not very creative: I am a Brit, living in the USA. I saw this one day and just thought it was better than nothing (which is all I otherwise had). It’s still a much better than, say, me naked with a Barbell over my head.
[quote]Joe Daley wrote:
Miserere wrote:
[highjack]WiZlon, why do you have a bulldog wearing the Union Jack as you avatar?[/highjack]
I think it’s a reference to the late great Sir Winston Churchill? [/quote]
Yep. The Bulldog has been a Churchillian symbol for British Spirit for a number of years.
Now I live in Northeast Tennessee (a bit of a change); I guess I could use a more local symbol…Let’s see, we have lots of financial institutions here, and also, everyone seems to want lots of kids to maximize their Social Security Paycheck…how about the Redneck Sperm Bank - saving for a future rainy day?
[quote]WiZlon wrote:
Coz I’m not very creative: I am a Brit, living in the USA. I saw this one day and just thought it was better than nothing (which is all I otherwise had). It’s still a much better than, say, me naked with a Barbell over my head.
WiZ[/quote]
Ah, I never realised you were a fellow Brit (you don’t write with a British accent). And thank you for choosing the bulldog over the latter option.
Have you got yourself a tan yet? Or are you still representing the pasty-whiteys?
