Smith Machines

A Smith machine fixes a barbell to two vertical rails so it can only travel up and down. Rotate the bar a quarter turn and hooks on the bar catch any of the rungs along the frame, so you can rack the weight at any point in the rep instead of only at the top. Adjustable safety catches set a floor below which the bar cannot travel. Squats, presses, lunges, split squats, rows and hip thrusts all run on the same guided path.

That guided path is the whole trade. You do not have to balance the bar side to side or front to back, which makes the machine easy to learn and easy to train alone near the end of a set. In return, the bar follows the rail rather than the path you would choose with a free bar, so foot position does the adjusting: step the feet forward or back until the movement feels right before you load it.

• Free bar in a power rack. Full freedom of bar path, the heaviest loading ceiling and the basis of most barbell programs. You balance the bar yourself, and the rack's safety bars catch a failed rep. The SFE squat rack and FID bench are the free-bar setup on this site.
• Smith machine. A fixed vertical path, rack-anywhere hooks and safety catches. Easier to set up and to bail out of alone, suited to pressing, split squats, hip thrusts and accessory work, and preferred by many lifters who train without a spotter.
• All-in-one. A power rack with J-hooks and safety bars for free-bar work, a Smith bar on its own track, and cable columns, all on one footprint. Costs more than either piece alone and less than buying a rack, a Smith and a cable machine separately.

Most garage gyms choose between a rack plus bench or an all-in-one. A standalone Smith makes the most sense next to an existing rack, or in a studio where several people share one lifting station.

Commercial Smith Machine, $2,499

A standalone, plate-loaded Smith machine with a counterbalanced bar, so the bar's starting weight is offset and lighter loads feel lighter at the handle. The bar travels from 12 inches to 82 inches of clear height, ergonomic handles lock and unlock it at any point, and adjustable safety catches set the floor. Main tubes are 1.97 by 3.94 inch rectangular steel with a 0.098 inch wall. 56 inches deep, 84 wide, 86 tall; 584 lb assembled and 661 lb shipped. In stock.

All-in-One Smith Machine and Functional Trainer, $3,499

A power rack, a guided Smith bar and a dual-stack functional trainer in one frame. Two 220 lb weight stacks drive the cable side for crossovers, pushdowns, pulldowns and rows; the rack side takes a free Olympic bar on J-hooks with safety bars. Included: a 7 ft Olympic bar, safety bars, J-hooks, a lat bar, a T-bar handle and tricep handles. About 72 by 82 by 88 inches. In stock. It is also listed with our functional trainers.

• Counterbalance. A counterbalanced bar offsets the bar weight with a cable and weight inside the frame, so the starting load is lower than an unbalanced bar. The Commercial Smith states a counterbalanced bar; the starting weight of either bar is not published, so ask us if you track exact loads.
• Bar path. Some Smith machines angle the rails a few degrees. The Commercial Smith runs on a fixed vertical track; the All-in-One listing says guided track without an angle, so ask us.
• Safety catches. Set them just below the bottom of your range before you load the bar. On the all-in-one, the rack's safety bars cover the free-bar side.
• Bar range. 12 to 82 inches of clear height on the Commercial Smith covers floor-level rows and hip thrusts up to a standing overhead press for most users.
• Footprint and ceiling. The Commercial Smith is 86 inches tall and the all-in-one is about 88, so a standard 8 ft ceiling clears both frames; allow working room on all sides and more if you plan pull-ups on the all-in-one.
• Plates and bench. Neither includes plates or a bench. Pair either with an adjustable weight bench for pressing.

• You already own a rack and bar: the Commercial Smith Machine adds the guided station beside it.
• Starting a garage gym from an empty room: the All-in-One, then plates and a bench; it covers the free bar, the Smith and the cables in one footprint.
• Studio or shared floor: the Commercial Smith for a lifting station anyone can set up quickly, with strength machines around it and a leg press for heavy lower-body loading.

Stock on these machines moves; a listing marked in stock ships within about 3 business days, a listing you can add to cart without an in-stock badge is on backorder from the supplier (ask us for the current lead time before you order), and a sold-out listing can be reserved by email.

Both ship by freight on a pallet, flat-packed, and need two people and basic tools to assemble. Ask us about inside delivery and assembly.

Buying from us

Free freight to domestic USA addresses in the lower 48, delivered curbside by freight carrier; liftgate and inside delivery by quote; Alaska, Hawaii and international by quote. 30-day returns on eligible products in original condition; restocking fees and return freight apply on machines. Every Sports & Fitness Exchange machine carries a 1-year manufacturer warranty handled through us. Shop Pay Installments is available at checkout on qualifying orders, and we invoice B2B and multi-unit orders for gyms, studios, teams and clinics.