Saturday, 2 November 2024

Smith Machine

Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 Smith Machine Review

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The Body Solid Series 7 combines a smith machine, squat rack, heavy duty GFID-71 bench, and even a cable pulley system to create one of the most complete home gym sets available.

With such a range of great features, it’s impossible to fit them all into a short product description. We feel it’s best to be as in depth as possible when talking about such a high quality piece of equipment, so you know exactly what you’re getting for the money.

Squat rack features

Setting up your own home gym can have many benefits of over committing to a commercial gym membership.

The Body Solid Series 7 goes far beyond a smith machine, also providing a set of high and low cable pulleys

You can put together all the machines you find most effective, don’t need to find time to make the journey there and back, and will never have to wait to get on a machine.

The difficulty comes if you are looking to get bigger or stronger but don’t have a spotter available to assist you with the heavier sets.

This is where the design of the Body Solid Series 7 Smith Machine is so effective. While most fitness companies will make you choose between a squat rack and smith machine, Body Solid have actually managed to combine the two.

Having the gun rack style bar supports attached to the front of the frame allows you to perform a variety of effective muscle building exercises. These include overhead presses, back squats, shrugs, and incline bench press.

The main safety feature for the free weight exercises is the set of heavy duty guard rails. Adjustable through a range of height settings, these safety rails will prevent the bar from dropping below a certain point.

Particularly useful when performing squats, this prevents you getting pinned below the bar and allows you to have the confidence to attempt a one rep max or take a set to positive muscular failure.

It’s these last few reps, where you push yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of, that will stimulate the greatest strength gains and muscle growth.

Smith machine workouts

When it comes to choosing a smith machine, you usually have two main types of motion; vertical, and reverse pitch.

The smith machine bar follows a 7 degree reverse pitch, which is a more natural range of motion for your body to move through

The Body Solid Series 7 falls into the second category, with a 7 degree reverse pith creating a more natural range of motion for the bar to follow.

This prevents putting your body through any unnatural positions and risking potential shoulder injury, which is not only safer, but allows you to lift more weight.

The smith machine features 20 different lockout points, and includes a set of safety catches to prevent the bar from moving below a certain height.

Although the range of motion is more restrictive than the free weight exercises, this does allow you to work on weaker portions of your lift more effectively.

For example, if your bench press was weakest through the top half of the press, you could set the locking catches at a position where the bar only moves through this top portion of the movement.

You could then overload your triceps and strengthen the entire lift to bring up your weaker portion of the bench press. Although this is a more advanced training technique, the Body Solid Series 7 includes a bench with a weight limit of 1000 lbs and an incredibly strong frame.

This makes it an ideal home gym for every fitness level, whether you have been lifting for only a few months or many years.

Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 Smith Machine

Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 – Features Summary

  • Body-Solid’s Exclusive Lifetime, In-Home Warranty Provides 100% Coverage for Every Part, Including Normal Wear Items
  • Precise 7 degree reversed pitch Smith Machine, designed for natural upper and lower body exercise movements.
  • Linear ball bearing Smith system
  • 20 smith bar lock-out points
  • Freeweight gun rack system with 14 lift-off and racking positions
  • Large diameter Smith Bar responds quickly and weighs only 25 Lbs
  • Heavy-duty all-4-side welded
  • 11 gauge and 12 gauge 2″x3″ mainframe steel construction
  • 4-point stance for maximum stability
  • Includes adjustable safeties for both the Smith system and the free weight barbell workout center
  • 6 Olympic weight plate storage posts
  • Olympic Bar holder mounted to the frame

GFID-71 commercial quality weights bench

If you look at the majority of smith machines and squat racks, they tend to provide just the frame and no actual weights bench.

The Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 also includes the popular GFID-71 weights bench

Although you can buy a bench separately, it’s often difficult to find one that has a strength rating to match your smith machine or rack.

This is why the Body Solid Series 7 includes the popular GFID-71 weights bench, adjustable through a variety of different positions, from decline to nearly vertical.

The best part about this bench though is its high weight limit. Capable of supporting over 1,000lb, this isn’t one of those benches you will outgrow in 6 months time.

To extend the range of exercises still further, the GFID-71 comes complete with both a leg developer and preacher curl attachment.

The pivot point for the leg developer and angle of the preacher pad have been carefully designed to overload the muscle at the best position for accelerated bicep and leg development.

Lat pulldown and cable pulley system

Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 Smith Machine

Although the squat rack and smith machine provide some effective compound exercise options, it’s also important to be able to isolate a muscle group.

Isolation exercises such as cable curls for biceps allow you to work a muscle from a variety of angles, helping to improve its shape and fullness.

With a cable system that wouldn’t look out of place as its own separate exercise station, the Body Solid Series 7 also provides a pec fly option, together with both a high and low cable pulley.

Both the pec fly and cable pulleys get their resistance from a selectorized weight stack at the back of the frame, with a total weight of 210 lb.

If you don’t think this will be enough of a challenge, there is even a special set of add-on weight plate pegs to increase the weight further.

Weight plate storage

Even with the amount of weight many squat racks and smith machines can support, it’s rare to find one that includes 6 Olympic sized weight plate pegs. This is just another of the features that sets the Body Solid Series 7 apart from similar home gyms in its class.

Whether you are squatting 500 lb or bicep curling 50 lb, having so many storage pegs helps to keep your weight plates both tidy and organised.

This makes it easier to find the weights you need quickly, giving you more time to get some all important rest between sets.

Over 50 exercise options

When combined with a simple barbell and weight plate set, the Body Solid Series 7 allows you to put together an effective full body workout, with a large selection of both compound and isolation exercises to choose from.

Listed below are just a few of the 50+ exercises that are available:


  • Overhead press
  • Smith machine press
  • Bench press (flat, incline, decline)
  • Seated pec fly
  • Upright row
  • Barbell row
  • Close grip bench press
  • Deadlift



  • Shrugs
  • Wide lat pulldowns
  • Tricep pushdowns
  • Overhead tricep extensions
  • Cable curl
  • Front delt raise
  • Preacher curls
  • Leg extensions

With the GFID-71 bench being free standing, you can always slide this out from the main smith machine / squat rack and use it to support even more exercises with dumbbell workouts.

Review Overview

Overall Review Rating

5 / 5

The Body Solid Series 7 GS348P4 Smith Machine provides you with almost everything you need to put together a range of effective workouts for every muscle group.

From compound mass building moves like squats and presses, to isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep pushdowns, the Series 7 has a high enough weight limit to suit all levels of weightlifting experience.

The only thing missing is a barbell and weight plate set. That being said, Body Solid have actually put together a version that also includes a full 500 lb weight set.

There are really very few smith machine gyms that offer such a wide range of effective exercise options, from the main smith press to the free weight squat rack, and even a full cable pulley system.

Product dimensions: 84" (H) x 78" (L) x 70" (W)

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