Smith Machine Bench Press

Muscles Smith Machine Bench Press Works

Main muscleLie on the bench and press the Smith machine bar up from your chest as your elbows extend. The main muscle driving this movement is your pecs. Your pecs bring your upper arms toward the front of your body and help press the bar upward.

Supporting musclesYour triceps help straighten your elbows, your front delts assist the press, and your serratus helps keep your shoulder blades stable.

How it should feelAs you lower the bar, your chest should stretch open. As you press up, your chest should squeeze inward and feel firm.

Signs you're offIf your shoulder blades lift off the bench or only the front of your shoulders work, you are pressing more with your shoulders than your chest. If your lower back arches hard, your trunk position is breaking down.

Remember thisPin your shoulder blades to the bench and press the bar up with your chest.

Muscles used

• Pecslarge chest muscles covering the front of the chest
• Tricepsback of the upper arms
• Front deltsfront of the shoulders
• Serratus anteriorsaw-shaped muscle along the side of the ribs under the armpit
• Rectus abdoministhe front abs, commonly called the six-pack

Setting Up for Smith Machine Bench Press

Setup orderPosition the bench under the bar → Set bar height and safety stops → Add matching plates → Lock the clips

• Bench position

  Set it like thisPlace the bench inside the Smith machine so the bar is directly above your eyes when you lie down.

  How to checkWhen you look up, the bar should appear just above your eyes, not behind your head or over your chest.

• Bar height and safety stops

  Set it like thisSet the bar high enough to unlock with your arms almost straight. Set the safety stops so the bar will not press into your chest.

  How to checkYour shoulders should stay on the bench when you unlock the bar, and the safety stops should sit slightly below chest height.

• Plates and clips

  Set it like thisSlide matching plates all the way onto both sides, then lock the clips right next to the plates.

  How to checkBoth sides should have the same weight, with no visible gap between each clip and plate.

Watch out forAvoid placing the bar behind your eyes or over your chest, skipping the safety stops, or leaving plates partially loaded.

Stance for Smith Machine Bench Press

Foot widthLie on the bench and place both feet comfortably on the floor.

Where your weight goesKeep your hips and upper back on the bench, and keep both feet firmly on the floor.

Upper body positionPosition your body so the bar is above your eye line when you lie down.

Why it mattersIf the bench position is off, it becomes harder to lower the bar steadily and your shoulders may feel more stress.

How to Grip for Smith Machine Bench Press

Grip typePlace the Smith bar on the thick lower part of your palms near your wrists, and wrap your thumbs around it.

Grip widthPlace your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, about half a palm wider on each side, holding the same position on both sides of the bar.

How hard to gripKeep the bar on the thick lower part of your palms near your wrists, and keep the backs of your hands in line with your forearms.

The Key Point for Smith Machine Bench Press

Slowly lower the fixed bar below your chest, and push it back up so that your shoulders do not roll forward.

Think of it like thisThe feeling of moving the bar along the same path

Before the fixWhen lowering the bar, my shoulders roll forward, and only my arms and shoulders get tired first.

After the fixThe bar doesn't wobble, and the strain on your shoulders is reduced.