Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Shoulder Press

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSide DeltsLateral Deltoid

Secondary

TrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, side deltoid, lateral delt.

Equipment

Smith Machine

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

How to do the Smith Machine Shoulder Press

1. Sit on a bench positioned inside a Smith machine.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width at shoulder level.
3. Unrack the bar and press it overhead until your arms are extended.
4. Lower the bar back to shoulder level under control.
5. Keep your core tight throughout.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Sit directly under the bar path before unracking.
• Tilt your head back slightly as the bar passes your face.
• Avoid flaring your ribs as the bar travels overhead.

At a glance

Smith Machine Shoulder Press in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Behind the Neck Press
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Push Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Machine Shoulder 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-shoulder-press",
  "name_en": "Smith Machine Shoulder Press",
  "name_de": "Smith-Maschine Schulterdrücken",
  "name_es": "Press de Hombros en Máquina Smith",
  "description_en": "An overhead press in the Smith machine, with the guided bar path providing stability for the shoulders.",
  "description_de": "Ein Schulterdrücken an der Multipresse für die vordere und seitliche Schulter, bei dem die Stange in einer festen Bahn läuft.",
  "description_es": "Un press vertical para deltoides en máquina Smith realizado sentado en un banco, con la barra estabilizada por los raíles.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "smith_machine",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit on a bench positioned inside a Smith machine.",
    "Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width at shoulder level.",
    "Unrack the bar and press it overhead until your arms are extended.",
    "Lower the bar back to shoulder level under control.",
    "Keep your core tight throughout.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Setze dich auf eine Bank innerhalb der Smith-Maschine.",
    "Greife die Stange etwas breiter als schulterbreit auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Entracke die Stange und drücke sie senkrecht nach oben, bis die Arme gestreckt sind.",
    "Führe die Stange kontrolliert zurück auf Schulterhöhe.",
    "Halte den Core während der gesamten Bewegung angespannt.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate en un banco colocado dentro de una máquina Smith.",
    "Agarra la barra ligeramente más ancha que el ancho de los hombros a la altura de los hombros.",
    "Desrackea la barra y empújala por encima de la cabeza hasta que los brazos estén extendidos.",
    "Baja la barra de vuelta a la altura de los hombros de forma controlada.",
    "Mantén el core contraído durante todo el ejercicio.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Sit directly under the bar path before unracking.",
    "Tilt your head back slightly as the bar passes your face.",
    "Avoid flaring your ribs as the bar travels overhead."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Drücke die Füße fest in den Boden für einen stabilen Sitz.",
    "Greife die Stange symmetrisch, damit beide Schultern gleich arbeiten.",
    "Vermeide ein starkes Hohlkreuz beim Drücken über Kopf."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Sitúate de forma que la barra no roce la cabeza al subir.",
    "Evita arquear la zona lumbar al empujar.",
    "Suelta el aire en la subida de cada repetición."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/smith-machine-shoulder-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/smith-machine-shoulder-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-shoulder-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.