Tunturi smith machines

Why choose Tunturi smith machines?

Tunturi is a Finnish brand that started out making bicycles in Turku in 1922 and has been building home fitness equipment since the 1960s. You can see that background in these smith machines: they are made for a home gym, not for a busy gym floor. The frame is sturdy enough to take a serious squat or bench press session, yet its size and appearance keep it from taking over your living room, garage or attic.

What sets this brand apart in this category is how simple the decision stays. There are three versions in one line: a half smith machine for anyone short on space, and two full frames above it. No cable tower inside the same frame, no three in one construction you have to convert before your first set, and no separate heavier club range that a home user has no use for. You compare three machines on two questions, namely how much space you have and how much adjustment you want, and then you are done.

A smith machine also rarely stands alone. You need plates, collars and a bench alongside it, and Tunturi carries all three. That means your whole training corner can be built in one style, with grips, colours and materials that belong together, instead of a collection of separate brands that almost match. Also take a look at the other fitness equipment from Tunturi.

The Tunturi smith machine range

Three items, one clear structure. These are the constants in the range:

• Half smith machine: the compact version with a lower, narrower frame. It takes up less floor space and less headroom, which makes it the entry point for an attic, a cellar or a garage.
• Full smith machines: two versions in a stepped line, with a taller and roomier frame, more adjustment positions and more space to move around the machine.
• Bar fixed in two rails: on every version the bar belongs to the machine and runs in a fixed track, so you do not need a separate barbell.
• Safety hooks along the track: you turn the bar into the hooks part way through a rep and stop the movement at the height you choose, even when you train alone.
• Loaded with standard plates: you set the range yourself with weight plates and collars, so the machine grows with your strength without anything needing to be replaced.
• Bench chosen separately: for pressing you slide a fitness bench under the rails and pick the height and back angle that suit the frame.

Which Tunturi smith machine suits you?

In practice your available space, your training goal and the rest of your setup decide which of the three it will be.

You have a low attic or a tight garage: go for the half smith machine. The frame is lower and narrower, so you keep walking room and you will not run into the roof beams. Do measure your headroom first, including the space you need above your own head at the top of a squat.

You mainly want heavy bench press and squat work without a spotter: pick one of the two full versions. They give you more hook positions and more room to step in and out of the frame, and that is exactly what counts once the plates get heavy.

You are building your home gym in stages: start with the frame, a basic set of plates and collars, and add the bench once pressing joins your programme. Because it all comes from the same brand, whatever you buy later fits in with what is already there.

You train together with someone else: choose a full frame. You can walk around it more comfortably, swap over faster and move the hooks between two body heights more easily.

You also want to do pull ups and dips: put a unit from the power racks and dip stations next to it. These smith machines are not combination frames, so those exercises come from a second machine rather than from the same uprights.

What should you look out for when buying a Tunturi smith machine?

Headroom and floor space

A smith machine is tall and heavy, so measure your room before you order. Do not only count the height of the frame, but also the height you need yourself at the top of a squat or a shoulder press. Look at the floor as well: the weight of the frame plus the plates lands on a few small feet. On a wooden floor or tiles, protecting the surface with mats is not a luxury.

Half or full frame

This is the real choice within this brand. The half version is lower and narrower and therefore fits where a full frame simply will not, but it offers fewer adjustment positions and less room to move around. The full versions do give you that space and that adjustment, but they ask for more height and more floor. If you are unsure, let your ceiling height decide rather than your ambition.

Adjustment positions and safety hooks

The number of positions in which you can turn the bar away determines how precisely you can limit the movement. More positions means you can set the hooks just below your lowest point on a squat and just above your chest on a bench press. Anyone training with several people of different heights notices that difference every session. Run the bar through once without plates before you go heavy.

The weight of the bar itself

On these versions you always lift the bar along with the plates, usually around twenty kilos. That is convenient as soon as you start training heavier, because the weight simply counts. It does mean you are not starting from zero. If you have to start very light or are rebuilding after an injury, factor that starting weight into your first programme.

What you need alongside it

The bar is attached to the machine, so you are not buying a separate barbell here. What you do need are plates in a range that matches your current strength, collars you trust and a bench for all the pressing work. Budget for those three at once, because without them the frame just stands there looking good.

Our advice: let the tape measure decide. Measure your headroom and your floor space, choose between the half and a full frame on that basis, and put the difference into plates, a solid bench and floor protection. A machine that fits and is complete gets used more often than a big frame that leaves your head against the ceiling.

Who are Tunturi smith machines suitable for?

• Home users who train alone: you can squat and bench press heavy without a spotter, because the bar cannot tip over and you can always turn it away.
• Beginners learning to dose their load: the fixed track takes the balancing out of the exercise so you can focus on technique and progression.
• Anyone short on space: the half smith machine brings heavy pressing and squatting within reach in a room where a full frame will not fit.
• Owners of other equipment from this brand: the frame lines up with the bench, the plates and the collars you already have at home.
• Anyone rebuilding after an injury: you limit the movement with the hooks and keep each set small, preferably in consultation with your physiotherapist.

Less suitable if you mainly want to train functionally with a free barbell, because then you miss precisely the balance work that the rails take over for you. Anyone looking for cables, a pulley or a complete rack inside the same frame, or for equipment built for a busy club floor, is better off with another brand or with the strength stations.

Need help choosing?

Would you like to buy a Tunturi smith machine but are you not quite sure which version, which rails or which rack combination suits you? We are happy to help. You can reach our fitness specialists by phone on +31 85 773 00 57, send an email or visit our fitness store in Volkel, the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions about Tunturi smith machines

Can I really train heavy without a spotter?

Yes, and that is the main reason people put one of these in their home. The bar runs in two rails and can only move up and down, so it cannot fall away forward or backward. If a set stalls, you turn the bar a quarter turn and it rests in the safety hooks. Set those hooks at the right height beforehand and run through once without weight, so you do not have to think about it mid set.

What is the difference between a half smith machine and a full version?

The half frame is lower and narrower, so it needs less headroom and less floor space. That makes it the space saving entry point for an attic or a garage. In return you get fewer adjustment positions and less room around the machine to step in and out or slide a bench into place. A full version does give you that space and adjustment, but you need the ceiling height for it.

Do I need a separate barbell?

No. The bar belongs to the machine and is fixed to the rails, so there is no separate barbell to buy here. What you do need are weight plates, collars and a bench if you also want to bench press. Choose plates in a range you can still extend over the coming years, because that is what determines how heavy you can go on this frame.

Am I training less functionally than with a free barbell?

Partly yes, and that is the honest trade off. Because the rails keep the bar in balance, your stabilising muscles do less work than when you have to control a free barbell yourself. In exchange you get safety, a predictable path and the option to train heavy on your own. Many home users therefore do both: heavy sets on the machine, and separate exercises with dumbbells or an adjustable barbell for the stability work.

How much space and height do I need?

Always measure before you order. Besides the height of the frame you need the space you take up yourself at the top of your exercise, so count your own height plus the height of the bar above your shoulders. Keep walking room on all sides as well, to step in and out of the frame and to change plates. Also check whether your frame can stay free standing or has to be fixed to the floor or the wall.