Chest / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Incline Smith Machine Bench Press

An incline bench press in a Smith machine that targets the upper chest with a fixed bar path.

At a glance

Primary

Chest, Front delts

Secondary

Triceps

Equipment

Smith machine, Bench

Movement pattern

Horizontal push

Level

Beginner

Type

Chest, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the shoulder. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Place an incline bench under a Smith machine so the bar lines up with your upper chest.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width and unhook it.
3. Lower the bar to your upper chest under control.
4. Press it back up to full extension.

Tips

• Keep your shoulder blades pulled back into the bench.
• Do not bounce the bar off the chest.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Bench placed so the bar comes down on the neck or belly.

  Why it hurts: The fixed bar path can't adjust, so a bad setup forces the shoulders into a poor position on every rep.

  ✓ Instead: Position the bench so the bar touches the lower chest, and set the safety stops just above the chest.

Open in the appGet started