Weighted pushups in a smith machine?

[wobbles]

I just thought of this but have no idea if it's practical. Has anyone tried to use the smith machine to load your pushups? Does it work?

[lovestolift]

It doesn't sound safe and it will make you look silly. Perhaps if you train with a partner who can "rack" and unrack the bar for you, but I would rather load a backpack or just move on to dips.

[LiftingNerd]

No, but I have loaded push ups by putting plates on my back. It seems to work just fine.

[Barry101]

No, but I saw a trainer showing another person how to do push ups with rings strapped to the smith machine. Looked hard! Not really what you are looking at using it for.

[ricepower]

Do you mean that you are considering the smith machine bar against your back and trying to push it up?

Sounds pretty stupid.

[wobbles]

Well it's a smith machine, most exercises you can do with it are stupid.

[Subsistence]

It seems like you could do more weight that way than stacking plates, just be sure to set the safety pins so that you can't get pinned under it. If I start weighted push ups again I may want to give this a shot as my gym doesn't allow me to bring in a bag to load with plates, and it is a pain trying to split my work out in two and finish when I go home. If anyone tries it, tell me how it works out!

Only issue I can see is the safety pins not being able to be set low enough. And of course, you no longer have the balance the weight.

[sgtrock]

No, but I saw a trainer showing another person how to do push ups with rings strapped to the smith machine. Looked hard! Not really what you are looking at using it for.

I've seriously considered buying rings to do exactly this. I've done the same on a weight machine (tower-style, with the small PVC-style hand holds on each side and setting the weight plates to max weight). Hard as all hell.

[FilthyMcNasty]

How would this work? are you going to push against the bar while its across your back, or set it to it lowest and then suspend it from underneath you with rings. sorry, I'm having trouble visualising what you mean. if you want harder press-up also try putting on hand on a medicine ball (basketball etc if you're at home).