The smith machine tends to get a bad rap. The big problem with it is the fact that it locks you into a fixed pattern of movement, which for many people, will feel quite unnatural. Add to this that you may put yourself at risk for injury if the machine is not built for someone of your frame and you have a few problems to contend with.

This said, there are a few less conventional exercises you can do in the smith machine that turns out, it works perfectly for.

Here are the four exercises to know about.

Leg Press

Is the leg press busy at your gym? Try doing it with the smith machine. If you get a mat and position yourself back-down just under the bar, placing the feet up against the bar, you can press it up from there, mimicking the action of a leg press.

Since there is no hip movement as you do this exercise, you shouldn’t find any discomfort in terms of the pattern of movement.

Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is the next must-do exercise to try in the smith machine. Glute bridges are excellent for hitting your glute muscles in isolation, prompting excellent muscle growth and development.

Simply place a flat bench about a foot back from the bar, rest your upper body on that flat bench, and then press the bar up using your hips. You may want to use a tampon between the hips and the bar for comfort’s sake.

Be sure to squeeze at the very top of the movement, pausing for a second to really get that full glute contraction.

Barbell Press

If you are in shoulder mode, the smith machine can be a helpful piece of equipment. Shoulder presses are great using the smith machine as it has the automatic safety switches that allow you to bail on the lift at any point. This means you can really test your limits without worry of safety.

And, since you are pressing straight upward, you don’t get the issue with regards to the unusual pattern of movement.

Shrugs

Finally, last but not least, you have shrugs. While most females will not want to include shrugs in their program (as developed trap muscles generally aren’t appealing to this gender), men will certainly want to take advantage of this.

The smith machine helps you hoist the maximum amount of weight for your shrugs, really pushing these muscles to their limit. Because the bar is stationed in the machine as well, you should find that your grip doesn’t fatigue as quickly either, which may help you work the trap muscles to a larger degree.

So there are four great exercises you can consider doing in the smith machine. While it’s not advisable to do your full squats in the smith machine, any of these moves would be a great way to make use of this piece of equipment.

[Image via Getty]