Smith Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Smith Machine Bench Press
- Place a flat bench underneath the smith machine. Now place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the flat bench. Using a pronated grip that is wider than shoulder width, unlock the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, lock the bar back in the rack.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Smith Machine Bench Press
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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2
Bench Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
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3
Decline Barbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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4
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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5
Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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6
Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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7
Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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8
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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9
Decline Smith Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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10
Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do smith machine bench press work?
Smith Machine Bench Press primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for smith machine bench press?
Smith Machine Bench Press uses machines.
Smith Machine Bench Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Smith Machine Bench Press is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of smith machine bench press?
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip, Bench Press - With Bands, Decline Barbell Bench Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my smith machine bench press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; smith machine bench press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Smith Machine Bench Press with AI
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