Smith Machine Bench Press

Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Bench Press

Primary

ChestPectoralis Major

Secondary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: pec, pecs, pectoralis major, pectoralis, chest muscles.

Equipment

Smith Machine

Also called: smith bar, guided barbell, fixed barbell, smith press.

How to do the Smith Machine Bench Press

1. Lie on a flat bench set inside a Smith machine.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width and unrack it.
3. Lower the bar under control to your mid-chest.
4. Pause briefly without bouncing.
5. Press the bar back up until your arms are fully extended.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Align the bench so the bar lands at mid-chest, not the neck.
• Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down against the bench.
• Keep your feet planted and your glutes on the bench.

At a glance

Smith Machine Bench Press in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Bench Press
• Cable Chest Press
• Close-Grip Bench Press
• Close-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
• Close-Grip EZ-Bar Bench Press
• Close-Grip Incline Bench Press
• Decline Barbell Bench Press
• Decline Bench Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "smith-machine-bench-press",
  "name_en": "Smith Machine Bench Press",
  "name_de": "Smith Machine Bankdrücken",
  "name_es": "Press de Banca en Máquina Smith",
  "description_en": "A bench press variation in the Smith machine, where the guided bar path adds stability for the chest.",
  "description_de": "Ein Bankdrücken an der Multipresse, bei dem die geführte Stange die Balancearbeit reduziert und die Brust im Fokus steht.",
  "description_es": "Un press de banca en máquina Smith cuyo recorrido guiado permite entrenar el pecho con menos demanda de estabilización.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "smith_machine",
  "body_part": "chest",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "pectoralis_major"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "requires_bench"
  ],
  "variation_group": "bench-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Lie on a flat bench set inside a Smith machine.",
    "Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width and unrack it.",
    "Lower the bar under control to your mid-chest.",
    "Pause briefly without bouncing.",
    "Press the bar back up until your arms are fully extended.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Lege dich auf eine flache Bank im Smith Machine.",
    "Greife die Stange etwas breiter als schulterbreit und entracke sie.",
    "Senke die Stange kontrolliert zur Mitte der Brust.",
    "Kurz pausieren ohne Abfedern.",
    "Drücke die Stange zurück nach oben, bis die Arme vollständig gestreckt sind.",
    "Wiederhole die Übung für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Acuéstate en un banco plano dentro de la máquina Smith.",
    "Agarra la barra ligeramente más ancho que el ancho de hombros y desbloquéala.",
    "Baja la barra con control hasta el centro del pecho.",
    "Haz una breve pausa sin rebotar.",
    "Empuja la barra hacia arriba hasta extender completamente los brazos.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Align the bench so the bar lands at mid-chest, not the neck.",
    "Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down against the bench.",
    "Keep your feet planted and your glutes on the bench."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Richte die Bank so aus, dass die Stange deine mittlere Brust trifft.",
    "Zieh die Schulterblätter zusammen und halte die Füße fest am Boden.",
    "Drehe die Stange am Satzende sicher zurück in die Sicherungshaken."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Alinea el banco para que la barra baje a la mitad del pecho.",
    "Mantén los pies firmes en el suelo durante toda la serie.",
    "Aprende el giro de muñeca para enganchar la barra antes de cargar peso."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/smith-machine-bench-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/smith-machine-bench-press-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "smith-machine-bench-press");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.