Flat Bench Smith Machine Press

Starting position

1. Place a flat bench in the Smith machine so the bar would touch your lower chest, around nipple line.
2. Set the safety stops just below chest height.
3. Lie down, plant your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades together and press them into the bench.
4. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width so your forearms are vertical at the bottom.

Execution

1. Press the bar up and rotate your wrists to unhook it.
2. Inhale and slowly lower the bar to your lower chest, elbows at 45–70° to your torso.
3. Touch your chest without bouncing.
4. Exhale and press the bar back up without snapping your elbows into lockout. After the set rotate your wrists to hook the bar back on.

Common mistakes

• Bench in the wrong spot — the bar comes down toward your neck or stomach and stresses the shoulders.
• Bouncing the bar off the chest — momentum does the work and the sternum takes the hit.
• Elbows flared to 90° — stress shifts to the shoulder joint.
• No safety stops — if you fail a rep there's nowhere to set the bar.

Beginner tips

• Smith bars weigh differently on different machines — find out what yours weighs and log the total.
• The stops let you train safely without a spotter, so always set them.
• Add 2.5 kg once you finish all sets with 1–2 reps to spare.

Alternatives

• Barbell Bench Press — free weight, more work for the stabilizers
• Flat Dumbbell Bench Press — longer range of motion, arms work independently
• Hammer Strength Chest Press — a machine with a similar path