RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Calculators · free, no account

Smith machine bar weight

A Smith machine bar starts at 5 to 16 kg (11 to 35 lb), depending on the machine, by the makers' own specs. Enter the plates on one side and pick your machine, or leave it on "Not sure", and the calculator gives the total you lifted and, for the bench press, about what that is on a free barbell.

Add up every plate on one side.

Unit
Lift

Example result

Total on the bar

45–56kg

About this on a free barbell

~47.5–57.5kg

Smith bars start between 5 and 16 kg depending on the machine, + 2 × 20 kg of plates.

Starting weight by machine
MachineBarTotal
Precor Vitality (angled)5 kg45 kg
Life Fitness Signature (angled)9 kg49 kg
Body-Solid PSM200 (angled)11.3 kg51.3 kg
Hammer Strength13.6 kg53.6 kg
REP rack attachment (no counterbalance)15 kg55 kg
Precor Discovery (angled, no counterbalance)16 kg56 kg
Build a Smith machine bench session

Smith machine examples

Same machine type, different gyms and lifts. The machine changes the total more than most people expect.

  • Example 1

    A plate a side, machine unknown

    A beginner benching on a chain gym's Smith machine with one 45 lb plate on each side and no label on the frame.

    Plates on each side
    45 lb
    Machine
    Not sure
    Lift
    Bench press
    • Total on the bar101–125 lb
    • About this on a free barbell~105–130 lb

    Without the maker, the honest total is a 24 lb spread. Log the plates the same way every session and the spread stops mattering for progress; find the maker's name on the frame once and pick it here to get the exact number.

    Build a Smith machine bench session Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Hammer Strength squats

    An intermediate lifter squatting 40 kg a side on a Hammer Strength Smith machine.

    Plates on each side
    40 kg
    Machine
    Hammer Strength
    Lift
    Squat
    • Total on the bar93.6 kg

    With the maker known, the total is exact. There is no free-barbell number for the squat: in the studies, the Smith squat came out stronger, not weaker, so build the Smith squat session from this total and keep it separate from your barbell squat.

    Build a Smith machine squat session Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    A home rack attachment

    A home-gym lifter benching 70 lb a side (a 45 and a 25) on a REP rack attachment, which has no counterbalance.

    Plates on each side
    70 lb
    Machine
    REP rack attachment (no counterbalance)
    Lift
    Bench press
    • Total on the bar173 lb
    • About this on a free barbell~180 lb

    No counterbalance means the full 33 lb bar counts. The free-barbell figure is the weight to start from on a regular bar, then work up in small jumps, since balancing the bar is new work.

    Build a Smith machine bench session Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    Split squats on an angled machine

    A woman doing split squats with 15 kg a side on a Precor Vitality Smith machine at her gym.

    Plates on each side
    15 kg
    Machine
    Precor Vitality (angled)
    Lift
    Something else
    • Total on the bar35 kg

    This bar adds only 5 kg, so the plates are nearly the whole load. Moving to another Smith machine with the same plates can add up to 11 kg, so reset your reps when you change machines.

    Open with these numbers

How much does a Smith machine bar weigh?

Each maker publishes a starting weight: what you lift with no plates on. On the machines below it runs from 5 to 16 kg (11 to 35 lb). Some makers counterbalance the bar so it starts lighter; REP says its rack attachment has no counterbalance and Precor says the Discovery doesn't need one.

If your machine isn't here, look for the maker's name on the frame. To weigh the bar yourself, rest a bathroom scale on the safety stops or the floor, lower the empty bar onto it with the hooks off, and read the number.

Smith machine starting weight, from each maker's spec page
MachineStarting weight (kg)Starting weight (lb)
Precor Vitality (angled)5 kg11 lb
Life Fitness Signature (angled)9 kg20 lb
Body-Solid PSM200 (angled)11.3 kg25 lb
Hammer Strength13.6 kg30 lb
REP rack attachment (no counterbalance)15 kg33 lb
Precor Discovery (angled, no counterbalance)16 kg35 lb

Is a Smith machine lift the same as a barbell lift?

Not quite, and the difference depends on the lift. In a study of 12 trained men, the free-barbell bench 1RM was about 3% higher than on a Smith machine, and dumbbells came in 14% below the Smith machine. A study of 32 men and women also found the free-weight bench stronger, but its Smith squat 1RM came out higher than the free-weight squat.

That is why the calculator only gives a free-barbell number for the bench. For the squat, treat Smith and barbell as two lifts with their own numbers. The plate calculator loads a regular barbell once you switch.

Smith machine technique

The lift the free-barbell number is for

Smith Machine Bench Press

Chest

Where the bench sits under the bar changes how much you can press. Set it so the bar touches your lower chest, and keep it in the same spot every session so your totals stay comparable.

How to do it

  1. Roll a flat bench into the Smith machine so the bar lines up over your lower chest when you lie down.
  2. Set the safety stops a couple of inches below where the bar touches your chest.
  3. Lie back, grip a bit wider than your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades together and plant your feet.
  4. Twist the bar off the hooks and lower it under control to your lower chest.
  5. Press it straight up the rails until your elbows are just short of lockout.

Cues

  • Bar over your lower chest
  • Shoulder blades pinned
  • Elbows about 45 degrees out

Common mistakes

  • Bench placed so the bar lands near your neck: slide it until the bar touches just below your nipples.
  • Bouncing off the safeties: the stops are for a failed rep, so touch your chest lightly and press.

The Smith lift with its own number

Smith Squat

Quads, Glutes

Foot position on a fixed bar path changes the load you can move, so a Smith squat total only compares with itself. Put your feet in the same spot each session.

How to do it

  1. Set the safety stops just below your lowest squat depth and the bar at about upper-chest height.
  2. Step under the bar and rest it across your upper back, not your neck, with your hands just outside your shoulders.
  3. Set your feet at shoulder width, slightly in front of the bar, with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Stand up to lift the bar, twist it to unhook it, take a big breath and brace.
  5. Sit down between your heels, knees and hips bending together, until your thighs reach parallel or lower, then push the floor away to stand.
  6. After your last rep, twist the bar back onto the nearest hook before stepping out.

Cues

  • Feet a half step forward
  • Push the floor away
  • Hooks on before you step out

Common mistakes

  • Feet directly under the bar: with a fixed vertical path this pushes your knees far forward and tips you onto your toes; step your feet slightly forward until your weight sits over your mid-foot.
  • Cutting depth because the machine feels heavy: lower the weight and squat to at least parallel; the safeties are there so you can.

Full Smith machine squat guide

Make it fit you

  • Log plates, not guesses

    If you don't know the machine, log the plates per side and nothing else. The number is consistent from session to session, which is all progress needs.

  • One machine, one number

    A Smith set on one brand doesn't transfer to another. When you change gyms, start a set or two lighter and let the reps tell you where you are.

  • Moving to a free barbell

    Start the bench at the free-barbell figure, then find your real number from a hard set of 3 to 8 reps with the bench press calculator.

  • Light bars, small jumps

    On a 5 kg or 11 lb bar the plates are nearly the whole load, so the smallest plates in the gym are the right jumps. Add reps first, then plates.

  • Set the safeties every time

    The stops let you push a set close to failure alone. Set them just below your lowest point, so a missed rep lands on them.

Questions

How much does a Smith machine bar weigh?

Between 5 to 16 kg (11 to 35 lb) on the machines in the table above, by the makers' own spec pages. Every one of them is lighter than a standard 45 lb barbell.

Is a Smith machine bar 45 lb?

None of the machines listed here starts that heavy: the heaviest is the Precor Discovery at 35 lb. Check the maker's name on the frame and pick it in the calculator.

Do you count the bar weight on a Smith machine?

Count it if you know it, and count it the same way every time. If you don't know the machine, logging plates per side is consistent and fine for tracking progress.

Why does the Smith machine feel lighter than a barbell?

The rails do the balancing for you. In the bench study the free bar max was about 3% higher, so the same weight feels a little easier on the Smith machine.

How do I convert a Smith machine bench to a barbell bench?

Multiply the Smith total by 1.03, or enter your plates above and pick Bench press. For a max from a set, use the one-rep max calculator.

Sources

Keep your Smith numbers straight

Log the plates, reps and RIR on every Smith set and RIRLift keeps your estimated max for that lift current, then picks the plates for your next session.

Get RIRLift on the App Store Build a session

Coming to Android · Join the waitlist

4.8 on the App Store 3,000+ lifters
Built for real lifters and is so useful for tracking workouts in my Apple Watch
★★★★★ Alop72, App Store