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The Functional Smith Cable Machine offers members a myriad of functionality and safety features perfect for all fitness skill levels. Its balanced rack and stabilized bar design – capable of both cable or weight plate resistance – maximizes workouts and minimizes injury by allowing members to focus more on form and less on balance/stability. When benching, weight stability is a priority. Not only do you want to avoid the possibility of injury from the bar falling or unbalanced movements, but you also want to avoid allowing wayward weight to pull the body out of alignment. Because the bar moves up and down rather than forward and back in a more unwieldy motion, you need not worry about falling or straining forward – resulting in more controlled movements and a locked bar for better form. On the other spectrum of functionality, the Functional Smith allows you to protect your shoulders (some members insist the equipment offers a better workout than free weights), legs, knees and back from injury. You are also able to more efficiently engage your glutes and hamstrings. As an added bonus, shoulder press and chest isolation exercises are easier to perform and more effective.
The Functional Smith design helps avoid some of the injuries commonly associated with free squat exercises. Again, the improved stability also means you’re less likely to hurt yourself. Unique to the Functional Smith, the use of stabilizing rods and cable-driven weight stacks eliminates both unbalanced weight distribution and the danger of runaway barbells. As a result, many members gain the confidence to challenge themselves to squat-based exercises without the use of a spotter and with fewer risks to safety.
Members can take advantage of the added stability to increase their bench weight load – but must challenge themselves wisely. There’s a good reason why we’ve included the Functional Smith as a central part of our Boot Camp station circuit – for one, our members enjoy its effectiveness regardless of their fitness level or previous gym experience. From a beginner to an experienced lifter expanding their load or even a member rehabbing an injury, this unique piece of equipment – only found at Hardcore Fitness – is extremely versatile and an excellent fit within any of our daily programmed circuits.
Resistance machines, such as the leg press, allow movement in a fixed, safe and correct moving pattern – making them great for beginners or people returning from injury, and designed to maximize muscle growth. They’re equally useful for people who want to isolate a specific leg muscle – in this case the quads, hamstrings and glutes – due to its fixed movement not requiring the use of stabilizing muscles. These are often the weak link that limits the amount of weight that can be moved. Members that are completely deconditioned and need the extra support can use the leg press to build up basic strength. The machine itself is designed to act as a guide to safely and effectively guide positioning throughout the entirety of each leg exercise movement. For example, most leg press machines feature a padded backrest to promote proper posture while also supporting your back in addition to hand placement, aiming your focus strictly on the leg exercise movement and significantly reducing risk of injury due to incorrect positioning or poor ergonomics.