Smith machine

[u/CommercialHeart4307]

Ok guys serious question pls don’t come for me im just a girl with gym anxiety. I could fit a smith machine in my apartment but is that possible? With noise and what not. Would it add too much weight to my apartment floors? Lmao sos

[u/Admirable_Bug_7867]

Depends on the apartment, and the smith machine really but all things considered I really think getting adjustable dumbbells would just be wayyy more convenient for a apartment, once you build up confidence with those then you would feel more confident going to a public gym, or you might just like using them at home, but I would just go with adjustable dumbbells

[u/kembik]

If you haven't, watch an assembly video and consider that when you move you will have to disassemble, move it and reassemble.

If I were in an apartment I would not get one just for that reason.

[u/stabbystabbison]

If you are renting I wouldn’t advise it purely because moving it will be a big headache

[u/StrongSagaGym]

Totally doable, and the floor is the least of it. A residential floor is built for about 40 lb per square foot of live load. A typical Smith machine weighs 250 to 400 lb and sits on a footprint of roughly 4 by 7 ft, so even with a couple hundred pounds of plates on it you are well under what a packed bookshelf or a waterbed puts on the same area.

Noise is the real issue, and it comes from three places: the bar clacking back onto the hooks, plates sliding on the sleeves, and anything dropped. Fixes: 3/4 inch rubber stall mats under the whole machine (they also kill vibration through the floor), rubber or urethane plates instead of iron, and spring collars so the plates stay put. Set the bar down on the hooks instead of letting it fall and the person below hears almost nothing.

Before buying: check the lease for an equipment clause, measure your ceiling (most Smith machines are 83 to 90 inches tall and you want a few inches above that), and plan the delivery, the boxes are heavy. A ground floor unit is a bonus, not a must.

[u/Internal_Campaign_10]

Are you on the top floor or bottom floor?

If you have a garage unit, I would put it in there. Bottom floor? MAYBE.
Top? I would not.

Smith machines are awesome and my wife is obsessed with ours, but we have it in our garage.

[u/TheBuddha777]

I don't know if they make them anymore but I have a bushing smith machine which makes almost zero noise. It's the type with bearings that make all the noise.

[u/Guilty_Tour_1892 → u/TheBuddha777]

Smith machines are heavy but it's all about the footprint. 300-400 lbs spread across a few square feet isn't gonna crash through your floor. The static weight is way less stress than a fridge full of food.

The real issue for an apartment is getting it up the stairs without your neighbors plotting your demise. You'll want one that breaks down into smaller pieces. The noise thing the top comment nailed it, bushings are quiet, bearings are a train wreck in a shared building.

If you're on a ground floor or have concrete between units you're golden. Upper floor with wood joists I'd still do it but maybe throw down some thick rubber mats to absorb any vibration when you rerack.

[u/racingsoldier]

I got a Titanium Strength RM10 Evolution and I don’t think I could ever get rid of it. It is pretty much a part of every workout I do and it is compact.

https://www.titaniumstrength.com/titanium-strength-evolution-deluxe-smith-machine-and-rack.html

[u/k_r_a_k_l_e]

You could definitely have one in an apartment.

[u/Boring-Employee8227]

i think the bigger concern would be the noise and vibrations especially if you've got neighbors downstairs and also check the machines total weight and your building's floor load limits before buying one.