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How to do it
- Set the incline bench under the Smith bar at about 30 to 45 degrees, with the bar over your upper chest.
- Lie back on the bench, plant your feet flat on the floor, and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulders.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench to set a stable pressing position.
- Unrack the bar by rotating the wrists, then lower it slowly to your upper chest with elbows at about 60 degrees.
- Pause briefly at the bottom with the bar touching the chest and tension held through the upper body.
- Drive the bar back up to full lockout by pressing through the upper chest and triceps.
Common mistakes
- Setting the incline too high, which turns the lift into an overhead press and removes the chest focus.
- Letting the elbows flare to 90 degrees, which strains the front shoulders and reduces chest engagement.
- Lifting the hips off the bench to use leverage, which destabilizes the lift.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled press.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Chest
- Secondary
- Front DeltsTriceps
Same movement, other equipment
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Good to know
- What muscles does the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press work?
- Mainly the chest. It also works the front delts and triceps.
- What equipment do you need for the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press?
- It uses a machine. Without it, the Bodyweight Knee Push Ups and the Cable Bench Press train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it beginner.