Chest exercise
Smith Machine Bench PressHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Chest
- Also works
- Front delts, Triceps
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Smith Machine Bench Press?
- Set the bench so the bar lowers to your nipple line.
- Lie back, feet flat, and grip slightly wider than shoulders.
- Twist the bar off the hooks and lower it slowly to your chest.
- Press straight up until your arms are nearly straight.
Cues
- Bar lands on the nipple line
- Elbows about 45° out
- Shoulder blades stay pinned
Common mistakes
- Bench too far forward or back; check where the bar lands first.
- Flaring elbows out to 90°; keep them angled towards your hips.
- Locking out hard and lifting shoulders; stop just short of lockout.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Flat bench, about 45 cm high, placed square under the bar and slid so the bar's straight-down path lands on the nipple line / lower sternum; when lying down the forehead is roughly under the bar at the top (NFPT). Head, shoulder blades and buttocks on the bench; feet flat, a little wider than shoulder width. Shoulder blades pulled back and down; natural low-back curve. Overhand closed grip about 1.5 × biacromial width (hands about 60–65 cm apart) so the forearms are vertical at the bottom. Wrists straight.
The movement
The bar moves straight down and straight up along the rails, with zero horizontal drift. The arms hinge at the shoulders and elbows to follow it. Bar stays level. Torso, hips, head and feet stay still; shoulder blades stay pinned.
End position
(turnaround point): Bar lightly touching the chest at the nipple line, or 1–2 cm above. Upper arm about 50° from the torso (45–65°). Forearms vertical. Elbows just below the level of the bench top.
Tempo
Lower 2–3 s (NFPT), light touch with no bounce, press about 1.5–2 s, hold 0.3 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail angle | vertical (0°) | 0° (no tilt shown) | |
| Bar touch point | nipple line | lower to mid chest | |
| Grip width | 1.5 × biacromial | 1.3–1.7 × | |
| Elbow angle at top (included) | 172° | 165–178° | |
| Upper arm to torso at bottom | 50° | 45–65° | |
| Elbow flexion at bottom | 95° | 85–100° | |
| Bench height | 45 cm | 42–46 cm | |
| Tempo down / up | 2.5 s / 1.75 s | 2–3 s / 1.5–2 s |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Smith Machine Bench Press is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
