Your Guide to the REP® Smith Machine

If you walk into a commercial gym, you're sure to see a Smith machine or two mingling in among the power racks and squat racks. This equipment, often overlooked by old-school lifters, features a bar on a fixed path with safety stops, providing stability and a built-in spotter (or at least the ability to rerack whenever you need) so you can focus on your lifts.

The REP® Smith Machine Attachment provides everything you love about standard Smith machines in a package that makes it suitable even for bite-size home gyms. Plus, with its thoughtful design, you'll maintain full functionality of your power rack and even your ARES™ or Athena™ cable attachment. 

We'll detail everything you want to know about this new release, from its top-tier features and how to use it, to what exercises it's good for and installation tips to make setup as easy as possible.

What is the REP® Smith Machine Attachment?

Unlike stand-alone Smith machines that take up a ton of space — making them unsuitable for many home gyms — the REP® Smith Machine attachment is a compact and versatile solution, attaching to the PR-4000 or PR-5000 power rack. Once connected to your power rack, this attachment functions as a bar on a fixed vertical path, adding guided stability to your lifts.

The REP® Smith Machine Attachment offers a smooth bar path, safety stops, durable construction, and three angle adjustments so you can choose the path — -5, 0, and +5 degrees — that's right for your lift.

Key Features

Every piece of this attachment has been thoughfully engineered to provide you with the best Smith machine experience possible. Here are some key call outs:

COMPATIBILITY: Attaches to either the PR-4000 or PR-5000 Power Rack, and can be used with the REP® ARES™ 2.0 and Athena® cable attachments connected to the rack. Plus, it's compatible with future attachment options to take full advantage of the functionality and modularity of the Smith Machine Attachment.

ENHANCED ROM: You'll find 19 racking positions on the 93-inch height option and 16 on the 80-inch. Plus, an even larger range of motion when combined with the low-profile safeties, improving top and bottom range of motion for hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, shoulder press, and more.

2-IN-1 UPRIGHT CAPABILITIES: The Smith Machine Attachment uprights are compatible with J-cups and safeties, so you can lift with the Smith Machine's fixed bar path or set a barbell in J-cups to tackle lifts without a fixed path.

BUILT-IN SAFETIES: Easy-to-adjust safety stops provide peace of mind, allowing users to push their sets closer to failure. These safeties have been rigorously drop tested to withstand up to 450 pounds.

INNOVATIVE LOCKING HOOKS: Typical Smith machines require you to twist the bar to unlock it, then keep it twisted while adjusting the height — otherwise, the bar hooks catch on each rung. The REP® Smith Machine Attachment simplifies this with bar hooks that automatically release when you move the bar upward, making height adjustments quick and effortless.

450 POUND WEIGHT CAPACITY: Robust construction and high weight capacity make it suitable for both home and commercial gym environments. 

NO METAL-ON-METAL CONTACT: Composite material design in the bar hook prevents scratching and wear.

-5 TO +5 DEGREE ANGLED OPTIONS: The added option to angle the Smith Machine Attachment allows the user to create an ideal bar path for their desired exercise stimulus.

SMOOTH OPERATION: High-quality bearings ensure a nearly-frictionless system. What's more, if you accidentally place an uneven load on the bar — two plates on one side and one plate on the other — the bar still moves smoothly, up and down.

OPTIONAL CROSSMEMBER LENGTHS: Add additional crossmembers (26- and 38-inch in length) to optimize your 4-post REP® Smith Machine and Cable System rack setup.

COMPACT DESIGN: The Smith Machine Attachment uprights take up only 4-inches of space on your rack's crossmembers — allowing more space for other attachments like the ARES™ 2.0, spotter arms, and a pull up bar.

INCLUDED BAR: This 35 kilogram bar has powerlifitng and weightlifting knurl marks to set you up with proper hand placement. Choose the hand grip feel you'd like, with options between the moderate Colorado™ or more aggressive Black Diamond™ knurling.

What You Can Do With the Smith Machine Attachment

Pictured above: an athlete tackles hip thrusts with the REP® Smith Machine Attachment.

Hypertrophy, stability, and accessory work take center stage with this Smith Machine Attachment, providing the support you need to tackle your workout. Here are a few of the best Smith machine exercises you can do with this attachment:

• Smith Machine Squat
• Smith Machine Bench Press
• Smith Machine Deadlift
• Smith Machine Hip Thrust
• Smith Machine Lunges or Split Squat
• Smith Machine Shoulder Press
• Smith Machine Row
• Smith Machine Good Mornings

Pro Tip: Choose the right bar path angle to support your lift. To find this, test reps without any weight to see how the bar most closely moves in a natural path — whether that's with a -5, 0, or a +5 degree angle. Then, select the angled path that best suits the type of movements you're planning to do with the Smith Machine Attachment.

Installation and Setup Tips

Here are some tips and tricks to help you get setup and lifting:

• Two-Person Installation: Grab a partner to help you.
  
• Various Configurations: Proper placement of the Smith Machine Attachment will vary depending on the pre-existing configuration of your rack and attachments. To reference best possible placement, check out the Smith Machine Configuration Guide online.
• Critical Crossmember Adjustments: Slightly loosen all crossmember bolts before starting.
• Left & Right Descriptions: When you see "left" and "right" labeling or descriptions, this orientation refers to your persepective when standing in front of and facing the equipment.
• Weight Horn Distance: If you choose to mount your Smith Machine Attachment close to your weight horns, be sure to allow about 18 inches between the barbell and the weight horns to provide enough clearance for your weight plates — both on the bar and in storage.
  
• Inside or Outside Mounting: Place your Smith Machine attachment in the working space of your rack between the uprights or on the front side of your rack. Inside mounting may limit your free-weight training unless you have 41-inch crossmembers, while outside mounting will require use of front foot extensions.
• Rep Customer Service: If you run into problems, contact our customer support team at info@repfitness.com or (720) 420-1731.

Takeaway

Whether you're a beginner looking for added stability and support while you master movement patterns, or a more seasoned lifter aiming to target muscle isolation and hypertrophy, the Smith Machine Attachment is an exciting addition to your PR-4000 or PR-5000 Power Rack.

With enhanced range of motion, angled-upright options, an innovative design, and compatibility with current and up-coming attachments, this Smith Machine Attachment is ready to elevate your training experience and grow with your setup for years to come.

FAQs

What other equipment do I need to use the Smith Machine Attachment?

You'll need a PR-4000 or PR-5000 power rack to attach the Smith Machine Attachment to. Additionally, you'll also want weight plates to add onto the included bar.

How do I setup my Smith Machine Attachment?

Setup varies depending on your current rack configuration, but each Smith Machine Attachment comes with a thorough step-by-step guide on how to install your new equipment. 

What exercises can I do with the Smith Machine Attachment?

Tackle strength, hypertrophy, and endurance work with the REP® Smith Machine Attachment — perfect for movements like bench press, shoulder press, deadlifts, hip thrust, row, and more.

Who can I contact for help with my Smith Machine Attachment installation?

Contact REP's customer support at info@repfitness.com or by phone at (720) 420-1731.

Rosie Borchert is a NASM-CPT, former Nike Volleyball coach, and fitness writer whose work has appeared on BarBend and Tonal. If anyone would like to hire her to play beach volleyball, snowboard, binge watch TV, or go climbing, please get in touch.

This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT, for accuracy.