What makes the Smith machine so unique: Unlike a traditional squat rack and barbell setup, the barbell is attached (it's anchored between two metal rails), which helps guide your movement and form.

But the Smith does have a lot of practical uses. Related: How to Build the Ultimate Home Gym For one, using the machine is a great way to achieve metabolic stress in moves like squats and split ...

Squats of any type, whether with free weights or on a Smith machine, can be dangerous if they're performed incorrectly. The most common free-weight mistake people make is leaning their upper body ...

If you have ever been to your local gym, you would have noticed a piece of equipment that often goes overlooked among the rows of gleaming dumbbells and towering squat racks—the Smith machine.

This moves helps you learn to use your legs to drive the weight upward, similar to the hack squat. The Smith machine provides the same fixed path as the hack-squat machine. Instead of standing ...