A Smith Machine is an incredibly versatile piece of equipment that functions much like a squat rack, but with an added safety element due to the safety catches on the bar.
I looked at many Smith Machines on Amazon and determined that the best Smith Machine you can get is the Commercial Home Gym Smith Machine.
I’ve used quite a few Smith Machines regularly in my workouts a few years back, so I have experience using them. I was quite impressed with the available products I found while researching.
What makes the Commercial Home Gym Smith Machine the best Smith Machine is everything it can do and its well-made design. It is an incredibly versatile machine that comes with everything you could possibly need for a home gym. In fact, if there was only one product you could get, this would be a solid choice for you, and it would be all you’d need for your fitness journey for a long time.
The downside to the best choice is the price. There are several other great and cheaper options that still offer great value as home workout equipment. Depending on what your fitness goals and needs are, there are machines you can get to cover those needs.
Keep reading to find out what the best Smith Machines on Amazon are.
Top Picks
Best Smith Machine Overall: Commercial Home Gym Smith Machine
Highest Weight Capacity: Body-Solid Smith Machine
Most Versatile Smith Machine: Marcy SM-4903
Best Cheap Smith Machine: Marcy SM-4008
The Best Smith Machines
Here are the reviews of my top picks of the Best Smith Machines you can add to your home gym.
Commercial Home Gym Smith Machine (Best Overall)
This is one of the best Smith Machines you’ll find. If you have the space and the money, this alone is all you would need for a home gym. The equipment reviewed here is the Deluxe, which has all the additional accessories included.
You’ll get good use out of this machine as the weight capacity is quite high–high enough for the majority of those interested in fitness. The bar has a weight limit of 750 pounds and the rack has a weight limit of 990 pounds.
This machine and most of the others on this list use Olympic plates for the bar. The good news is that you get 330 pounds worth of plates with your purchase! That means you won’t have to worry about buying plates; you can get straight to working out once you put the machine together!
This is a counterbalanced Smith Machine. A counterbalanced bar will not feel as heavy as a standard barbell. For this machine, the effective weight of the empty bar is zero.
There are a myriad of accessories that come with this machine, so you can rest assured you will be able to get a variety of workouts! That’s why the purchase of this equipment alone is enough to function as your personal gym. At most, you would only need to purchase additional plates later down the line to add to the bar.
Additionally, you do get safety spotter bars with this machine, so you can workout relatively safely with a combination of the spotter bars and the safety catches of the Smith Machine. This is perfect for those who will be working out at home alone.
The versatility of this machine is absolutely phenomenal. You will be able to hit every muscle in your body thanks to all of the accessories this product comes with.
While not a small piece of equipment, this isn’t terribly huge either. Make sure you have a decent amount of open space (10ft x 10ft and at least 9ft ceiling height is a good amount of space if planning to use indoors, but you may be able to get by with less) and you’ll be good to go. This is definitely a piece of equipment best suited for your garage or backyard, but if you can make it work in your living room, then by all means do it!
Overall, this is a fantastic piece of equipment that is well worth the price, which you can do in payments if necessary. It is all you’ll need for a home gym if you end up getting it, which is why it is the best Smith Machine in this list.
Body-Solid Smith Machine (Highest Weight Capacity)
This is the best Smith Machine for you if you’re purely interested in building your strength.
The highlight of this machine is its weight capacity. You can load up to 1000 pounds on the bar if you like. It also boasts 11-Gauge Steel in its construction, so you can rest assured that the machine will hold up with that amount of weight. This will be perfect if you have interest in building your strength or powerlifting.
Olympic Plates are the plates to use with this machine. Unfortunately, plates do not come included with this product unlike the one listed above. The machine does include storage pegs for plates that you do have, however.
The bar weighs 6 pounds due to counterbalancing. Keep this in mind when doing your exercises. In other words, if you can do a lift with multiple plates on this machine, you may not be able to do that same number of plates on a free barbell. The same holds true for any counterbalanced Smith Machine.
Unfortunately, this equipment does not come with any additional accessories. It is only usable for bar exercises only. There are no additional safety features included beyond the safety catches included with every Smith Machine.
This is a great and well-made machine that is perfect if you’re purely interested in bar exercises only. The main downside is the lack of accessories that come with the machine. Make sure you get the plates separately as they do not come with the purchase of this product.
Marcy SM-4903 (Most Versatile)
If you’re looking for the most versatile Smith Machine possible, then this is the best Smith Machine for you.
While the weight capacity for this machine isn’t as high as some of the others on this list, it is still good for the majority of fitness enthusiasts like you and me. The bar can hold up to 300 pounds (in other words you can lift up to 320 pounds max) and the bench has a weight capacity of 600 pounds (includes you and the weight you’re using).
The plates used for the bar are Olympic plates yet again. Make sure that you have the right plates (2-inch diameter) before buying! Unfortunately, plates do not come with this product, which is a bummer, but it does come with plate storage.
The bar for this machine weighs 20 pounds, which is not too bad.
This machine comes with good accessories like the others on this list. You get a multi-grip pullup bar, a removable dip station, and a nice pulley system. It’s not mentioned anywhere on the buyer’s page, so I’ll mention it here – the pulley system is unique compared to the other machines on this list in that you can use the plates you have and place them onto the pulleys to serve as the resistance. Basically, the pulleys are like mini barbells that place weight plates onto (also Olympic)..
There are nice safety spotter bars that come with this machine as well as adjustable J-Hooks for a separate free barbell! In other words, if you need to do free barbell exercises, this machine has a spot for that as well.
This machine is a bit bigger than some of the others on this list, but not terribly huge. Like the others in this list, ensure you look closely at the dimensions and plan out a decent space accordingly. You won’t go wrong if you have a dedicated 10 foot by 10 foot space along with at least 8 feet of ceiling height, but if you can go smaller than that, it’s possible.
Overall, the versatility of this machine comes not from its accessories, but from the option to use a free barbell in addition to the Smith Machine bar, and also from the fact that you can use the plates you purchase as weight for the Smith Machine bar, the pulleys, or a free barbell. On top of that, you have all the standard bells and whistles that are commonly seen among all the other machines on this list.
This will be a solid purchase for you if you’re looking for a one size fits all piece of equipment, provided you’re not intending on doing very heavy lifts in the future or any time soon, due to the lower weight limit of the machine. The lower price in comparison to the other machines on this list definitely make it a solid choice for you.
Marcy Smith SM-4008 (Cheapest)
If you’re on a budget, then this is the best smith machine for you.
As with the majority of the other machines, this too uses olympic plates, which are not included, but you do get storage pegs for the plates.
The weight capacity is just as good as some of the other machines mentioned in this list. The bar has a weight capacity of 300 pounds and a bench weight capacity of 600 pounds (your weight included). The bar weighs 25 pounds, giving a max possible weight on the bar of 325.
Several accessories come with this machine, including multiple attachments for the pulley system, a bench, and a pullup bar are just a few to mention.
The included accessories along with the pulley system will make this a versatile piece of equipment for you. You can rest assured you’ll have plenty of exercise options for your whole body. The pulley system for this machine also allows for the use of olympic plates, which means you only need to buy those to do everything you want on this machine.
Considering how much you get for the price along with the weight limit, this is a great choice if you’re looking for a smith machine on the cheaper side. The only downside is that weights do not come with the machine, but luckily you can purchase those over time as you get stronger and stronger.
Buying Guide
Here are some things to look out for when deciding to get a Smith Machine for your home gym.
Budget
Smith Machines are not a cheap piece of equipment, especially the ones with more features and accessories.
The best machines are at a minimum of $700, so keep that in mind when looking to buy one of these.
Weight Capacity
If you’re planning on lifting a considerable amount of weight deep into your fitness journey, then weight capacity is a crucial factor to consider.
Lower end Smith Machines may have a weight limit around 300 pounds, while ones with a higher weight limit may go up to 1000 pounds and above.
Safety Features
The most basic safety feature that attracts fitness enthusiasts to smith machines is the twin rods and the safety catches that accompany them. This feature allows you to stop the barbell from going lower than needed at any point in the lift.
This is a good feature as it likely means you won’t need a spotter, but it alone won’t guarantee safety. It’s a good idea to make sure that you include spotter catches of some kind.
Olympic vs Standard Plates
Smith Machines can use either standard plates or olympics plates for the barbell.
Standard plates have a hole that is one inch in diameter. Olympic plates have a hole that is two inches in diameter.
Olympic barbells use olympic plates, so naturally, the best Smith Machines will use olympic plates as well.
Cheaper Smith Machines may use standard plates. Standard plates are typically cheaper and smaller.
Keep this in mind as you don’t want to buy the wrong plates for your Smith Machine. Make sure you know what type of weight plates will go on the bar.
Accessories
Smith Machines are very customizable, which is a very nice feature.
Many accessories may often come with a Smith Machine purchase, but any additional accessories that you want you will have to purchase separately. This fully customizable aspect alone is also a way you can create the best Smith Machine personally tailored for you!
More accessories will allow you to have more versatility, which will help save space and possibly money for your home gym.
The more accessories that come with your machine, the more expensive it will be, so you may be able to reduce the cost a bit by looking for machines that don’t have unnecessary accessories that you don’t need. Do your research ahead of time before pulling any triggers to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.
Size
Smith machines are a rather large piece of equipment.
Make sure before you purchase one that you know the measurements of the machine (these are always listed in the product description for you) and that you have adequate space for the machine and its use. The last thing you want is to spend 1000+ dollars on a machine that you have nowhere to put.
Warranty
With a more expensive piece of equipment like this, a warranty is something you should consider getting.
You want a warranty that will go as long as possible and with as much aftercare as possible.
Bear in mind that different warranties may cover different aspects of the machine, and the best ones will cover everything on the machine.
With a purchase like this, you want to ensure that if anything breaks that you’re covered.
Exercises/Workouts
You can use a Smith Machine to do a full body workout if you like. Here is a small list of exercises you can do to hit your entire body.
- Squats (Quads/Glutes)
- Deadlifts (Quads/Glutes)
- Romanian Deadlifts (Hamstrings/Glutes)
- Bent Over Rows/Row Variations (Lats/Rhomboids/Scapular Stabilizers/Spinal Erectors)
- Shrugs (Traps)
- Bench Press Variations (Chest/Triceps)
- Shoulder Press (Shoulders)
- Drag Curls (Biceps)
These are just a few exercises limited to the basic Smith Machine itself. If you have additional accessories or attachments you can add to your Smith Machine, there will be many more exercises you can add to your workout list!
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions related to Smith Machines.
Can you build muscle?
Yes, you can build muscle with a Smith Machine.
To build muscle, all you need to do is give your muscles progressive overload and eat properly. A Smith Machine, just like an Olympic Bar, is capable of doing just that.
As long as you’re giving your body resistance, you will grow stronger over time, no matter what the equipment is.
What are Smith Machines Good For?
Similar to a Power Rack, Smith Machines are often used for the big three power lifts–bench press, squat, and deadlift.
You can use a Smith Machine for isolation exercises due to the fixed plane of motion that the bar takes, which means you don’t have to focus on using your stabilizer muscles to balance the bar like you would when doing the free weight equivalents of the big three mentioned above.
Smith Machine or Power Rack?
Smith Machines are mostly known for their additional safety feature, which is the built-in safety catches that come with it. Add a couple of spotter bars and a Smith Machine will function as a great spotter for you when doing heavy lifts. For a home gym where you may be working out alone, this may be a better choice, especially if you plan on lifting very heavy at some point.
Power racks are generally cheaper than Smith Machines and will also make a great and versatile piece of equipment. They generally may not have as many attachments as a Smith Machine would, and only have spotter bars as their safety mechanism.
Depending on your goals, a Smith Machine is better for safety and versatility, and a power rack is better for price and is not fixed to one plane of motion.
Are Smith Machines As Good As Free Weights?
If you’re only interested in building muscle, then yes, Smith Machines are as good as free weights.
The main difference between a Smith Machine and free weights is whether or not you engage your stabilizer muscles and the plane of motion.
If you want to train specifically for things like bench press or squat, then it is a good idea to engage your stabilizer muscles. This means you will be better off training with free weights so that you can do so.
Olympic lifts are another thing to keep in mind. Due to how dynamic the Clean and Jerk as well as the Snatch exercises are, you will want a free barbell as the Smith Machine will restrict your movement too much.
Final Thoughts – The Best Smith Machine Overall
The best Smith Machine overall is hands down the Commercial Home Gym Smith Machine.
It is a well-made piece of equipment that has plenty of great accessories. It comes with many bells and whistles that will allow you to train every part of your body. You will have everything you need for home fitness right here in this one product, even the weights for it!
You can’t go wrong with this. If you have the money, this is perfect for a full body home gym experience.
