What's up everyone? I'm C-Dogg and I've been looking on the website for a couple years. Last year i bought Wendler's 5/3/1 ebook and loved the program. I used to be a member at Gold's but dropped the membership because of the fees (wife and kid package around $150/mo). Now i have a fitness center at my place of work but all they have is two smith machines, machines, and dumbbells up to 90 pounds. My question is this: do you think the 5/3/1 program can still be effective using smith machines? should I up the weight a bit more since you're able to lift more with smith machines? I really want to start using the program again because I saw my greatest gains and strength over all the other programs I have tried.

any help you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

If all you have is a smith machine then I suppose it is better than nothing, albeit sub optimal.

Somebody asked this to Jim on his website the other day (in regards to squatting) and this was his response:

Answer: You are welcome to use the Smith Machine but I wouldn't. I'd just do lunges, one leg squats, deads, etc. I'd rather leg press than use the Smith Machine.

Make the best out of what you have, but don't expect the same results if you can't get the right equipment. Why not just get a gym membership for yourself and leave the wife and kids out of it?

Ehhh...seem like a pretty crappy idea. I'd just get a membership for yourself. Smith machine has it's benefits to some people, but basing your whole program about it is definitely not optimal. Also if you ever go back to real squats,bench and oh press you wont be able to use nearly as much as you would with smith machine ones.

If you have other options why settle for smith machines? I understand money is always an issue but instead of the family pack can't you just get a single membership for yourself.
Smith machines are better than nothing, but free weights are better than smith machines.

Hey Guys!
I really appreciate the comments. lots of good stuff here. Getting a membership for myself is not an option because of money. I thought the purpose of 5/3/1 is to get stronger. are you guys saying i can't get stronger using smith machine. what i'm trying to get from the program is to be able to say I'm stronger than i was last month or cycle or whatever, just stronger than i was before. I would use the smith machine for my main lifts only on my assistant lifts i would use dumbbells or bodyweight (chins and dips).

Do you think I still will not get an effective workout from this only because I'm using a smith machine?

Smith machines blow, I doubt you will find anyone on here recommending you using one. If you were paying $150 a month, you can get a decent used rack and plates for what you would have paid for a few months at golds.

You could probably get stronger, but it'd be "smith machine stronger". You aren't using any stabilizers or a lot of other muscles you'd be using with free weights. If your benching 405 on a smith machine you probably aren't even close to that on an actual bench press. Suggest a squat rack or squats stands to your place of work. If you were to go the stands route you can probably get them for around $150. A power rack would be better because you can bench out of it too.

I used to free squat off the back of a smith machine, using the plate holder pins as a squat rack, so they aren't entirely useless.

OP: You can do whatever you want, but doing what you are asking about isn't 5/3/1.