Smith-Forged Shoulders

Use the Smith machine to build cannonball deltoids

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated November 29, 2018

A LOT of trainers HATE the Smith machine.

Their reasons include the fact that it locks you into a fixed movement of the bar that is less natural than a free-weight barbell and that it lessens the involvement of important stabilizer muscles. While these facts are true, I would argue that these negatives could be positives in certain circumstances when used correctly. For example, the fixed pattern of the bar is perfect for the upright row, which can put stress on the shoulder joint. I find the fixed path of the bar removes the stress on the actual joint, yet increases the focus on the deltoid. And lessening the involvement of the smaller, weaker stabilizers can help you take the target muscle to failure better because the smaller and weaker stabilizers are not the limiting factor causing you to fatigue on a set before the target muscle is fatigued.