I started lifting weights (again) and accurately tracking my progress (I bought a “cheap” workout and weight loss plan, which requires a lot of data so you can see your progress (or regress)). When bench pressing and doing squats on the (Cybex) Smith Machine I had assumed that the bar weighed 45 pounds like a free bar does and added it to the total weight. It wasn’t until my most recent session (finished about 30 minutes ago) that I realized that the bar doesn’t in fact weigh 45 pounds…but weighs anywhere from 7 to 30 pounds, according to what I saw from a quick search. I should have realized that it wasn’t 45 pounds because it felt pretty light. Google says that the average weight tends to be about 15 pounds, but I have no idea.
I was also using the (Cybex) overhead should press machine and saw that the plates past 50 pounds went in 15 pound increments. Then I noticed the additional weight at the top, disabled by a pin. When I lowered it down on to the stack there was no number on it. Was it 5 pounds? 7.5 pounds? 10 pounds? Who knows?
How are people supposed to know how much weight they’re lifting if things aren’t numbered properly? They have these huge stickers that say everything, but they can’t put “bar weighs 15 lbs” on it?
A trick for these machines if you want to add weight in smaller increments and also know the weight you’re adding is to place a small plate on the pin (On the yellow pin in the image below). It would look something like the second image below. You can do that instead of using the unlabelled weight on the stack.
And as many others have already said, the actual number doesn’t matter much. If you go from one machine to another, even if it’s the same brand and same model, the same weight is going to give different resistances. The part that matters is that you progress. You know that if you add weight on the smith machine, then you’re moving more weight and you’re progressing. If you enable the small weight on the shoulder press machine’s weight stack, then it’s more weight than not having it enabled, but less than moving the pin down the stack.
Thanks! I’ve seen people do that, and I did it as well on the Lat Press machine but couldn’t do it with the Shoulder Press machine since the stack is enclosed in a shroud 😑
I figured progress at any rate is what really matters.
For people that are interested in the plate-bearing pin, you might find that they’re kinda expensive. However, it is something which can be constructed fairly simply, using wood and a threaded rod plus hardware. Fractional plates would usually top out at 5 kg or 15 lbs, so it doesn’t need to be made out of billeted titanium or whatever.
This is one such wooden pin I made, using a scrap 4x4 block of wood and a router. If for your homegym equipment, you may be able to permanently mount a peg for plates, which I’ve done for my functional trainer.
Thanks, but I live in an apartment complex so I don’t have access to any tools or space to do it in haha