[quote]jimg21 wrote:
I was discussing your answer with a friend last night. he said that Bill Kazmier use to do something similar as what you do but with a EZ curl bar. Kaz did middle ROM close grips presses w/ the EZ bar and that it worked well for him.
I do close grip floor presses with a barbell and like them. Tried the neutral grip DB floor presses this past year and did not seem to get anything out of them. I dd them at the end of my tri workout. Maybe I;ll move them to the front and see what happens.
[/quote]
Interesting, I’d never heard of Kazmier doing them. I’d honestly always seen a lot of bros doing the middle-ROM EZ presses after DB chest presses / skullcrushers and one time said “Fuck it, might as well see if they feel good.” And they did! I like doing those every once in a while as well.
Floor presses with a barbell have definitely worked very well for me as well, but my current gym set-up is pretty tough to do these with. Incidentally… the Smith machine has the best set-up for those these days. I actually prefer the neutral grip DB presses on a flat bench over the floor as well, and use the middle ROM like the CGP too. They’re not the best exercise, and I probably only do them once every 3-4-5 arm sessions just to do some heavy work, after doing rope push-downs as a pre-fatigue. I definitely still enjoy the arm chock full of blood over heavy work these days.
Good luck man, report back if you remember because I’m interested.
Performed my first sets of Smith squats in a long, long time last night and I’ve got to say, they felt great. This was after my regular squat work and were done with my feet out in front. It’s been a while since I’ve had a burn in my quads like the ones I had last night.
[quote]jimg21 wrote:
I was discussing your answer with a friend last night. he said that Bill Kazmier use to do something similar as what you do but with a EZ curl bar. Kaz did middle ROM close grips presses w/ the EZ bar and that it worked well for him.
I do close grip floor presses with a barbell and like them. Tried the neutral grip DB floor presses this past year and did not seem to get anything out of them. I dd them at the end of my tri workout. Maybe I;ll move them to the front and see what happens.
[/quote]
Interesting, I’d never heard of Kazmier doing them. I’d honestly always seen a lot of bros doing the middle-ROM EZ presses after DB chest presses / skullcrushers and one time said “Fuck it, might as well see if they feel good.” And they did! I like doing those every once in a while as well.
Floor presses with a barbell have definitely worked very well for me as well, but my current gym set-up is pretty tough to do these with. Incidentally… the Smith machine has the best set-up for those these days. I actually prefer the neutral grip DB presses on a flat bench over the floor as well, and use the middle ROM like the CGP too. They’re not the best exercise, and I probably only do them once every 3-4-5 arm sessions just to do some heavy work, after doing rope push-downs as a pre-fatigue. I definitely still enjoy the arm chock full of blood over heavy work these days.
Good luck man, report back if you remember because I’m interested.[/quote]
Will do. Here is an article in which Kaz explains the exercise. 7th paragraph down
Tried some of the stuff tonight. My first impressions:
BtB Smith shrugs: soso - will give it a another try sometime I guess
Smith rows: AWESOME. Especially for my lacking “middle” back.
Rev. grip Smith press: felt like shit - not for me.
Incl. bench: Great. Only way for me to feel my pecs on a pressing exercise.
Incl. JM press: also great.
So far pressing (for pecs) and rowing on the Smith are gold for me. Legs might be good but I don’t really need that.
Tried some of the stuff tonight. My first impressions:
BtB Smith shrugs: soso - will give it a another try sometime I guess
Smith rows: AWESOME. Especially for my lacking “middle” back.
Rev. grip Smith press: felt like shit - not for me.
Incl. bench: Great. Only way for me to feel my pecs on a pressing exercise.
Incl. JM press: also great.
So far pressing (for pecs) and rowing on the Smith are gold for me. Legs might be good but I don’t really need that.[/quote]
I’ve come to regard the Smith as one of the best tricep development tools ever devised by mankind
Never gotten the reverse bench right on it, though. With a wide grip it feels like a very effective, yet very pec involving and shoulder wrecking tri excersise, and the close grip version of it feels kind of useless.
[quote]Serge A. Storms wrote:
Full reverse grip doesn’t work for me but I do like a grip that is halfway between a normal grip and reverse grip (neutral).
Combining this grip with an alignment that brings the bar down towards the bellybutton feels real nice for both chest and tri’s.
It would be awesome if they made a smith machine with a super fat bar.[/quote]
You could try those Fat Grip things, they are similar to the same effect. You can even make them if you are handy.
BtB shrugs… tried them and they weren’t exactly anything special. I did this movement after my usual shrugs, so that could affect the outcome. I’ll try these as first exercise next time.
I don’t do shrugs BtB, but I love wide-grip upright rows BtB (aka Haney rows) on the Smith. Grip the bar s/w wider than shoulder width, step forward just a hair (ie, give the bar a little clearance room behind you), then lift your elbows as high as you can while also shrugging your shoulders. Hits the rear delts, medial delts and traps really well.
[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
I don’t do shrugs BtB, but I love wide-grip upright rows BtB (aka Haney rows) on the Smith. Grip the bar s/w wider than shoulder width, step forward just a hair (ie, give the bar a little clearance room behind you), then lift your elbows as high as you can while also shrugging your shoulders. Hits the rear delts, medial delts and traps really well.[/quote]
Its called haney shrug btw…but whatever good advice anyways
First time trying floor press in the Smith…i liked it, a lot. The first time I’ve ever been able to rep out a floor press without worrying about the bar getting off balance and pinning me to the ground.
I just find it funny that I used to have a burning hatred for the Smith and considered it useless. I’m glad that has changed and I’ve been able to add a new element to my training.
[quote]Sancho2812 wrote:
I just find it funny that I used to have a burning hatred for the Smith and considered it useless. [/quote]
I liken the attitude toward the Smith Machine to just about everything else in real life. Many people base their opinions on those of other people.
If you had never seen or heard of a Smith Machine before, and someone gave it to you as a gift without any instructions, you would find MANY creative ways to use it in your training, and subsequently see it as a very good and versatile device.
I love the smith machine for flat & incline benching, shoulder press and CGBP. Most of the time I train later at night with no spotter, and this bad boy lets you go heavy without killing yourself.
I liken the attitude toward the Smith Machine to just about everything else in real life. Many people base their opinions on those of other people.
If you had never seen or heard of a Smith Machine before, and someone gave it to you as a gift without any instructions, you would find MANY creative ways to use it in your training, and subsequently see it as a very good and versatile device.
It’s a tool with many possibilities.[/quote]
I was just going to post something similar to this. I’m glad this thread turned out the way it did, and avoided much of the bashing that the Smith Machine usually gets in “hardcore” circles. There are a lot of useful applications for the Smith, not the least of which is a Dwarf chin-up bar!
[quote]jimg21 wrote:
I was discussing your answer with a friend last night. he said that Bill Kazmier use to do something similar as what you do but with a EZ curl bar. Kaz did middle ROM close grips presses w/ the EZ bar and that it worked well for him.
I do close grip floor presses with a barbell and like them. Tried the neutral grip DB floor presses this past year and did not seem to get anything out of them. I dd them at the end of my tri workout. Maybe I;ll move them to the front and see what happens.
[/quote]
Interesting, I’d never heard of Kazmier doing them. I’d honestly always seen a lot of bros doing the middle-ROM EZ presses after DB chest presses / skullcrushers and one time said “Fuck it, might as well see if they feel good.” And they did! I like doing those every once in a while as well.
Floor presses with a barbell have definitely worked very well for me as well, but my current gym set-up is pretty tough to do these with. Incidentally… the Smith machine has the best set-up for those these days. I actually prefer the neutral grip DB presses on a flat bench over the floor as well, and use the middle ROM like the CGP too. They’re not the best exercise, and I probably only do them once every 3-4-5 arm sessions just to do some heavy work, after doing rope push-downs as a pre-fatigue. I definitely still enjoy the arm chock full of blood over heavy work these days.
Good luck man, report back if you remember because I’m interested.[/quote]
The EZ close grip presses w/ mid ROM are working well. Like you I have been doing them at the end of my tri workout. Also tried them on a incline bench, probably about 35-40 degrees. I like these aloy better then close grip inclines with a regular BB or smith machine.
I liken the attitude toward the Smith Machine to just about everything else in real life. Many people base their opinions on those of other people.
If you had never seen or heard of a Smith Machine before, and someone gave it to you as a gift without any instructions, you would find MANY creative ways to use it in your training, and subsequently see it as a very good and versatile device.
It’s a tool with many possibilities.[/quote]
I was just going to post something similar to this. I’m glad this thread turned out the way it did, and avoided much of the bashing that the Smith Machine usually gets in “hardcore” circles. There are a lot of useful applications for the Smith, not the least of which is a Dwarf chin-up
bar! :)[/quote]
LOL @ your last sentence!
Next time I’m at a commercial gym, I’m gonna ask the front desk, “Can you direct me to the Dwarf Chin-up Bar?”
I have very limited equipment and a very bad back so I use teh smith for alot of things (I also work out at a rec center and honestly I don’t trust anyone there to give me a good spot)
-Drag Curls, these work great
-wide grip upright rows
-military press (and behind the neck press when I work them into my rotation)
-BB Rows, I lock my upper body into position and can go, I hardly ever feel any torque on my lower back.
