Smith Machine Lifts for Conjugate Max Effort Days

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
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I know its a popular internet thing to frown upon smith machine, but i think maxing a Zercher is just as silly.
Anyways, i wanted to ask peoples opinion on - could using some variations of smith machine also be used as a Max Effort for conjugate?
As far as i understand, we need to rotate as much lifts as possible, that are similar movements but somehow change the angle a bit or the strength curve.
Going by the logic that we can max a medium grip bench, narrow grip bench, medium incline and narrow incline… could one also do different grip variations of smith bench, smith squat, romanian deads in a smith, etc?

Since my gym only has the regular bar, i am looking for variations, but a google search doesnt provide answers.
Going by all the logic i have read about Max Effort day, id say a few variations in a smith could also be ok because they are similar but do feel different than conventional lifts.

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I suppose you could do this, but I’d look first to other variations before using the smith machine. Boards, bands (regular and reverse), chains, various box heights, high bar, low bar, various stances, a deficit, etc. should give you plenty of variations to play with before you’d need the smith machine. I trained conjugate for years without anything besides a straight bar and never felt like I’d exhausted my options for variations.

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I mean true conjugate is so individual. As long as the ME lift drives the main lift (true S/B/D) you’re good to go.

If it were me, the smith would probably be a supplemental lift: for example CG smith to improve CG bench to improve bench.

But if for you increasing your smith 1RM improves bench 1RM (or whatever else) then go hard

And hey if you try it for a bit it’d probably be worth doing a write up about your experiences for the rest of us :muscle:

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