The editors of Men's Fitness reply: The Smith machine is the thing that looks like a medieval torture contraption and sits in the corner of most gyms surrounded by a huddle of serious-looking men in cut-off T-shirts. It's basically a weights bar held in place by two uprights so it can only move in a vertical direction. Its uses are numerous, being perfect for doing squats, bench presses, rows and a host of other exercises without the fear of dropping heavy weights on your head.
The Smith machine hails from the home of muscle building, Los Angeles. Rudy Smith was one of the original Muscle Beach residents and he got the idea after seeing a floor-to-ceiling prototype in Jack La Lanne's gym in LA back in the '50s and went on to develop the idea. He hired a machinist to produce the finished article which has since been copied relentlessly and is now ubiquitous in gyms worldwide.
Smith, now 77, still owns the original version that carries his name.