Marcy Combo Smith Cage Machine SM-4008 Review
One of our best gym's for home use, the Marcy SM-4008 is an all-in-one strength training machine designed and built for using at home. It offers everything you need to build muscle, get strong and burn fat. It has the ability to train all major muscle groups and gives a large variety of exercises for other smaller muscle groups.
This machine is affordable and versatile in its abilities, allowing you to use many different methods of training:
The Smith Machine Bar
The bar allows you to perform exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses and rows in an assisted and safe environment. This feature is great for the very weak or if you’re looking to train heavy whilst alone, it has safety stops which allows you to escape safely from the bar whenever needed.
The SM-4008 also has brackets for a free weight Olympic bar, if you prefer this to the more restrictive assisted option you will have to purchase the bar and Olympic plates separately.
As well as the brackets to place the bar you also have safety arms that help you remain safe whilst training alone and storage posts which offer a great way to safely organize your weight lifting plates.
The Upper Body Cable Machine
The Cables allow you to perform exercises such as cable crossovers, cable lat pulldowns, triceps extensions, single arm rows, Russian twists and cable crunches. It is an independent motion upper body system that is strong and smooth.
The cables are made from steel aircraft cables. The SM-4008 also has a lower body cable attachment central to the machine, this attachment allows you to perform exercises such as seated rows and seated face pulls whilst giving you a string foot platform to push off.
The foot plate is conveniently placed to prevent damage or injury. The cable machine also comes with some accessories, included are a V bar, shiver bar, triceps rope, chain link, ankle strap and two comfortable handle grips.
The Pull Up Bar
This allows you to perform a variety of pull up and chin ups using different hand positions. You can also perform hanging leg raises, Garhammer raises, muscle ups, as well as attach bands to help stretch the upper body.
Can’t do a pull up?
Try working on the lowering portion of the lift, get to the top and then lower yourself down in the pull up position as slow as possible. You can also use bands to help you achieve your first pull up.
The Leg Developer
This allows you to perform leg extension and leg curl exercises, with the machine you can hit the quadriceps muscles through seated leg extensions and hit the hamstrings through lying hamstring curls. These exercises help isolate specific muscles allowing them to grow.
The Multi Position Bench
The Bench allows you to customize exercises to your comfort whilst also offering the chance to perform common exercises at different angles. The bench has comfortable pads and can incline to help you perform exercises such as; incline bench press and seated shoulder press.
Brief Exercise List
- Chest press (Varied hand grip)
- Chest flies
- Pullovers
- Leg Curls
- Squats (Varied foot position)
- Lunges
- Deadlifts
- Hip ab/aduction
- Hip extensions
- Glute bridge
- Shoulder press
- Upright rows
- Lateral raise
- Biceps curl
- Triceps extensions
- Back flies
- Lat pulldowns
- Seated row
- Face pulls
- And many more…
Marcy SM-4008 FAQ’s
1. What is the length of this machine?
The length of this machine is 98” long.
2. What is the height of this machine?
The height of this machine is 82” tall.
3. What is the width of this machine?
The width of this machine is 59” wide.
4. What is the total assembled weight of the Marcy SM-4008?
The total assembled weight for this machine is 279lbs.
5. What is the maximum user weight for the bench?
The maximum user weight for the bench is 300lbs.
6. What is the maximum weight for the assisted smiths bar?
The maximum weight for the bar is 300lbs.
7. What is the maximum weight on the leg developer?
The maximum weight on the leg developer is 100lbs.
8. What is the maximum weight for the Upper Body Cable?
The maximum weight for the upper body cable is 200lbs.
Smith Machine Booty Workout [Video]
9. What weight plates are compatible with the bar?
Olympic and standard plates are compatible with this bar.
How many exercise possibilities are there?
There are over 100 exercise possibilities with this machine.
10. What is the warranty like?
The warranty is 2 years limited.
11. Is the frame strong?
The frame is made from 14 gauge, square steel tubing, which offers excellent strength and limited shake in the frame under heavy loads. If you load the storage pins with weight plates this machine becomes even sturdier.
12. Is this a large machine?
Yes, as well as the large dimensions mentioned above you will also need to allow yourself some room either side to safely move the bar up and down and to move weight plates on and off.
This machine is not recommended for those limited on space. To perform pull ups using the bar you will also need a high ceiling so you have enough clearance to perform them properly.
13. Is the bench high quality?
The bench is made from a generous layer of high density foam and the upholstery is made from two-toned brown vinyl which is very long lasting. The leg developer also contains enough padding to make the exercises comfortable under heavy loads.
14. Are the pulleys durable?
Yes, the pulleys are made from high duty nylon and contain sealed ball bearings for very long lasting and smooth use. The cables are extremely strong and covered with PVC for extra smoothness.
15. What accessories are included?
The Marcy SM-4008 includes as standard all safety pins for both the smiths machine and free bar as well as the cable attachments which they have been generous with; triceps rope, chain link, shiver bar, V bar, ankle straps and two handles grips.
16. How many workout stations are there?
There are 6 main workout stations that cover all major muscle groups. These include Pull up station, pec fly station, chest press station, upper cable station, leg developer station and low pulley station.
Full Body Exercise on the Smith Rack/Smith Machine [Video]
17. Is it hard to assemble?
The Marcy SM-4008 is a large piece of equipment that is not easily lifted by one person. Assembly will require at least two people.
To fully assemble this machine, it can take several hours, but if you follow the easy to read instructions it can be achieved by the most novice of DIY’ers. Not all the tools required are given so you may need some basic Allen wrenches.
18. What is the maintenance like?
Once you have assembled the machine maintenance is fairly easy, oil the moving parts and check for loose screws every now and then.
19. What is the shipping weight for this machine?
The shipping weight for this machine is 279.3lbs.
20. How long does shipping take?
Shipping usually takes 24-48hrs.
21. What is the length of the bench?
The length of the bench is 46.75” long but with the leg developer is 68.5” long.
22. Can you perform curls on this machine?
Yes, you can use the low cable which is central to the unit to perform cable biceps curls.
Is The Smith Machine Good Or Bad For Building Muscle? [Video]
So, What’s the verdict?
This is the lowest price option out of our Top Ten Home Gyms, our other options are either above or close to $1000 as this is usually the range that ensures a high quality long lasting machine.
Marcy have done a great job with the SM-4008 they have made an extensive training machine affordable to a large amount of people. It’s a strong machine that offers variety similar to the higher priced options, the addition of the cable attachments and free bar pins as standard makes this a great value for money home gym.
The option to use a free bar and weight plates rather than just the smiths bar is an excellent addition. For anyone looking to progress in training they should purchase an Olympic bar and move away from the assisted bar when it is safe to do so.
Using free weights challenges your muscles in the correct way that includes balance, coordination and helps increase range of motion. The response you will get from training will help you get stronger, faster.
To improve I would like Marcy to try to attempt to make the machine more compact whilst being able to tolerate heavier loads. But if heavy lifting and space saving is not an issue you could be picking up a bargain by ordering the Marcy SM-4008 home gym.
This machine would also benefit from a more comprehensive warranty.
About Marcy
Founded by Walter Marcyan in 1959 with the vision of making professional grade fitness equipment available to everyone in their homes.
Marcyan was an innovator with great vision, who created patents that were way ahead of his time, most of what is still used around the world today. He learned how to create great exercise machines through having a famous gym where famous bodybuilders such as Bill Pearl and Arnold Schwarzenegger began their careers.
Fifty years later Marcy has still got many of the best smith machines around with happy customers in every country.
Compare Marcy SM-4008 Combo Smith Machine Prices
| Item | Name | Source | Current Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Marcy SM-4008 Combo Smith Machine | Amazon |
$858.99 |
 |
Pro Full Cage and Weight Bench Personal Home Gym Total Body Workout System | Ebay |
$429.00 |
Add new comment