Smith Machine Bar Weight: Real-World Starter Weights, Fast Measuring Tricks & Plate Math (2025)
Key takeaways: On most commercial units, the effective starting resistance (what you actually lift with an empty bar) falls around 15–30 lb. Some rehab-friendly/counterbalanced designs start lighter (~5–15 lb), while a few non-counterbalanced or dual-action frames start 25–45 lb. Verify your machine once, then program with confidence. What “Smith machine bar weight” really means When […]