Deadlifting in a Smith machine is a great alternative to traditional barbell deadlifts for people who don’t have access to a free-standing bar or prefer to use a Smith machine. It allows for increased stability and reduces the risk of injury while still targeting the same muscles that are targeted by a conventional barbell. The key is to understand how smith machine deadlifts differ from conventional barbell deadlifts in order to perform them correctly and safely.

The most common mistake when performing smith machine deadlifts is rounding your back as you lower the bar. This puts unnecessary strain on your spine and can lead to injury. Instead, focus on keeping your chest up and shoulders back, and engage your core muscles to support your back during the lift.

How to Maximize Your Gains with Smith Machine Deadlifting

Another mistake is taking a too wide stance or placing the bar too far from your body. This can cause you to lean forward excessively when lifting, which puts too much stress on your back and compromises your leverage. Instead, aim to take a stance that is similar to how you would stand when doing a standing vertical jump and place the bar smack dab over your midfoot.

Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that Smith machine deadlifts can be performed with different grip techniques and adding pauses at different points in the movement can introduce additional challenges and help break plateaus. Using wrist wraps can also add extra stabilization to the lift, especially when lifting heavy loads.

Written by warnertv