Seated chest press in Smith - pros and cons, what muscles work and how to do it correctly

Many gyms have a Smith machine, but not all athletes work in this machine, considering exercises in it ineffective compared to exercises with free weights. Let's figure out how to properly do a seated bench press in a Smith machine, and what advantages this simulator has.

Smith machine
Video: Smith machine design and functionality
Smith machine barbell press variations
Seated press (classic version) – we work the shoulders and chest muscles
Video: Performing a classic version of the seated press in a Smith machine (lifting the barbell up with a narrow and military grip)
Smith machine incline press
Video: Incline bench press in Smith machine
Reverse grip seated press
Advantages and disadvantages of the Smith machine

The benefits of the seated press

The most important advantage of the Smith seated chest press is that it minimizes the load on the spine. Also the advantages include:

Ability to work with heavy weights.
Due to the design features, the exercise can be performed with maximum safety. Due to the guides, there is no load on the stabilizers.
Technically, this is a simple movement, which is important for beginners.
A wide range of positions for the athlete in the Smith machine ensures comfortable work.
An assistant is not needed to perform the exercise.

There are also disadvantages:

For women and some beginners, the heavy weight design of the bar makes it impossible to perform bench presses on a Smith machine.
Ligament strengthening is less effective due to isolation and weight movement along the guides.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Smith machine

Like any other simulator, the Smith machine has its pros and cons. Let's start with the positive features:

The simulator is suitable for beginner athletes who are not confident in performing exercises and can easily get injured.
During training, the main muscle groups work in the Smith machine, and additional, or secondary, ones are turned off for the duration of a particular exercise.
It becomes possible to perform exercises without an assistant, who most often provides belay on some other simulators.
The Smith machine allows you to stimulate muscle growth well.

Among the disadvantages of this simulator are the following:

Considering the second plus of the simulator, you can also find a negative side in it, because with the stable development of large muscles, you can observe a lag in additional ones, which is quite difficult to change in the future. Therefore, it is important to simultaneously train for secondary muscles.
Having gotten used to working in a Smith machine, an athlete can unlearn performing the same exercises with free weights, and this is fraught with injury.

The correct approach to using the Smith machine will allow you to develop large muscle groups and build muscle mass while maintaining your health.

What muscles work

When performing the Smith exercise, the main target group is the deltoid muscles, namely the anterior and middle part (with an emphasis on the load on the anterior bundle).
Also involved are the trapezius muscles, upper pectoral muscles, serratus anterior muscles and triceps.
The press receives the static load.

How is exercise useful?

Exercise with a barbell has the following advantages and disadvantages:

Body tone increases.
Improves muscle volume.
The muscles of the shoulder girdle, triceps, deltoids, trapezius receive a good load.

The lumbar region and chest are well worked out. These zones are the stabilizers during training. If the exercise technique is followed, the infraspinatus, serratus anterior and rhomboid muscle groups are pumped.

It is worth noting that this exercise is included in the program by bodybuilders. Thanks to physical activity, the deltoid muscles actively begin to work, involving the rest of the muscles in the process. Because of this, a large amount of growth hormone is produced, which ensures a good increase in muscle mass in the shoulders.

Exercise technique

The exercise is performed in a sitting position. To do this, you need to install an inclined bench, the back angle of which should be approximately 70-75 degrees.

The correct position for the athlete will be with the bar positioned in front of him above the collarbones.
Hands on the bar should be placed shoulder width apart or slightly wider.
The back is pressed tightly against the back of the bench throughout the entire exercise.
The initial position of the bar is at the lowest point of the amplitude.
Having removed the bar from the clamps, while exhaling, concentrate and without jerking, you need to squeeze the weight up above your head.
At the top point of the amplitude, there is no need to fully straighten the elbow joints, as this is dangerous.
As you exhale, the bar slowly lowers to its original position.

The exercises can be performed in conjunction with others, for example, front swings in a superset, or performed separately in sets. For this, a scheme of 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions is suitable.
To work on relief, you should increase the number of repetitions to 20 and reduce the working weight.
A good option to work the front part of the deltoids are dropsets, in which four sets of seated chest presses are performed in a Smith machine and one set of standing frontal swings with dumbbells is added to them.

Basic mistakes

The most common mistakes made in execution technique are:

Beginners often make mistakes by not observing proper breathing. Due to its delay, there is a sufficient impact on the applied weight. With a delay occurring during the stretching phase, muscle strength can be increased by up to 15%. If these conditions are not met, then new athletes will not be able to work with normal weight.
Many people do not pay attention to their own posture and often hunch their shoulders and round their lower back. In this position, the back receives increased load, but it should not take part in the press.
Many athletes, due to inexperience, bring their elbows very far. There is no need to do this, as they should diverge to the sides.

How to implement the barbell bench press sitting in front of you in Smith

The vertical Smith chest press is an analogue of exercises for developing the anterior part of the deltoid muscles, such as the Arnold press or military barbell press, push-ups with a barbell or dumbbells, therefore the Smith press should be performed at the moment when the anterior bundles of the deltoid muscles are trained.

Since this exercise is an analogue of the heavier basic variations, it should be performed at the beginning of the workout. The training process aimed at developing deltoids begins with a load on the central part of the deltoids. Let's say an athlete begins training with a vertical barbell press, then a seated Smith chest press can be performed next.

Tips and tricks

You should follow these tips to get the most out of the shoulder press exercise:

You should concentrate on bringing your elbows together when pushing the working weight, which will allow you to better feel the work of the pectoral muscles.
Performing movements using only one hand on a hummer machine will allow you to pump up that pectoral muscle that is lagging behind in development.
The negative phase should be completed with maximum stretch of the pectoral muscles, which is achieved by working through the full amplitude and moving the elbows back as far as the flexibility of the shoulder joint will allow.

What is the benefit

The seated press is a truly unique and beneficial exercise. It has the following advantages over other methods:

emphasis in work on the pectoral muscles, their middle part;
increase in volume - good pumping and further muscle growth;
symmetrical development of the pectoral muscles is combined with their harmonious stretching during the press;
less risk of injury and damage;
no assistant required;
can be practiced during the rehabilitation period due to its high safety;
there is no need to “hold the pose” - there is no work of stabilizer muscles;
wide range of working weight;
does not increase blood pressure, fewer medical restrictions;
movement along one trajectory that does not need to be monitored;
there is no risk of “swinging” the breasts too much.

This method is often used by girls who don’t really like barbells and are afraid to pump up their pectoral muscles. Due to its simplicity and safety, the press is used by different categories of athletes: beginners, people after injuries in rehabilitation, as well as experienced athletes.

A few words for girls

If you are a girl and somehow you are concerned about the incline press and you found this article - I want to reach out to you. To begin with, I will say that there are quite a few muscles in your chest that need a strong workout.

Due to your feminine nature, the bulk of your muscles are concentrated in the lower part of your body. That's why your legs are naturally stronger than guys. And in men, the torso (upper body) is stronger than the legs. Therefore, a man and a woman are two opposites also on this basis.

Be sure to read the additional article on my blog about pumping up female breasts. There I described this issue in detail - you will learn many useful points.

But to put it briefly, there are VERY FEW MUSCLES in the female breast and its main volume is made up of the following parts:

Biceps are as simple as five cents

From a biomechanical point of view, when the arm is flexed, the biceps brachii muscle becomes fully tense. That is, there are no special movements to tension the inner or outer head of the biceps. And there are no special exercises to create a biceps peak like the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The shape of the hand is a genetically determined factor. The peak of the biceps is either present and clearly defined, or it is weakly expressed or absent altogether. You just have to come to terms with this. In any case, well-developed arms look great regardless of their genetically determined shape.

The most important thing is that developing them is not difficult if you do it wisely both from the point of view of physiology and the training process.

Military Press (Basic Exercise)

The exercise is also basic in the shoulder training program in the gym. Works well on all the shoulder deltas. In our opinion, the only difference is the risk of injury. Those. in other words, it is necessary to take into account the nuances during the execution process: use a belt, constantly monitor the process of movement of the barbell, monitor the correct execution technique. People are different and, accordingly, everyone has different tastes and preferences in exercises, so the choice of a basic exercise may lean toward the military press.

To perform the military press, we only need a bar, plates and the correct technique. You can also use racks or stands to fix the bar so as not to lift the bar from the floor (but this is only a matter of convenience).
Set the required weight on the barbell and lift it to the level of the chin/upper chest and fix it. After this, we pump up our shoulders: we begin to lift/lower the barbell. The top point is the outstretched arms, the bottom is the barbell on the chest. During the lifting process, the barbell should move overhead. Those. We carry the barbell over the head and continue its movement in the plane of the body.

The shoulder exercise with a barbell consists of 2 warm-up sets and 3 work sets. Warm-up approaches are done with light weights. The weight of the apparatus in the warm-up approaches gradually approaches the weight in the working approach, preparing the muscles and joints for maximum loads. Number of repetitions in warm-up and working approaches: 8-10.

For a visual representation of how to perform the exercise correctly, watch the video below:

Standing barbell press. Army press.

How to eat to pump up your deltoids

Nutrition is an important part in building the body of your dreams, which means that while working on deltoids you should closely monitor your diet. Consume more complex carbohydrates (rice, buckwheat and other cereals) and protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs and cottage cheese). And sports nutrition will help your body pump up deltoid muscles and recover after training.

When training for a delt pumping program, remember that your body needs materials to build muscle. Healthy food and sports nutrition will help you achieve your ideal body faster.

Pumped delts look very impressive. Round and defined muscles will give you confidence. Follow the advice in this article and you will pump up such deltoids that you will be envied.

Barbell row to the chin

The barbell row to the chin is a good exercise for training the shoulders in the gym to develop the middle fascicle of the shoulder deltas for men and women. In addition to the shoulders, the trapezius muscle of the back takes part in the exercises. The exercise is one of the additional (finishing) exercises that should be done after the basic/press exercises.

The barbell row to the chin must be performed while standing. As the weight of the projectile increases, the load on the back increases, so we advise you not to hesitate to use a belt in such situations - it is always better to take insurance.
Before performing the exercise, it will be more convenient to select a rack for the apparatus so that before starting the approach it is located at hip level. After that, you need to set the weight of the projectile and start performing the exercise.
The mechanics of performing the exercise consist of lifting the barbell to the chin/lowering it. Starting the approach, you need to grab the apparatus at shoulder level or wider (the wider the grip, the more the load from the exercise moves from the trapezius to the deltoids), then straighten your back and begin to pull down to the chin so that the elbows move in the plane of the body. At the top point - the bar is at the neck/upper chest, and the elbows are slightly above the shoulders, or at level. At the bottom there is a barbell at the bottom with outstretched arms.

The exercise consists of 2 warm-up approaches and 3 working approaches. Warm-up approaches are done with light weights. The weight of the apparatus in the warm-up approaches gradually approaches the weight in the working approach, preparing the muscles and joints for maximum loads. Number of repetitions in warm-up and working approaches: 8-12.

For a visual representation of how to perform the exercise correctly, watch the video below:

It's the BAR CHIN PULL, baby!

How to pump up your shoulders quickly at home?

Eat properly. Proper nutrition is the key to any workout. Eliminate fatty, sweet and spicy foods from your diet. Add more protein foods. During training, a lot of energy will be consumed; foods rich in carbohydrates will help replenish its reserves. These include various types of porridges: buckwheat, oatmeal and others. It is also worth drinking a lot of water. When exercising, a person loses a lot of fluid and to make up for these losses, you need to drink one and a half times more than usual.

Perform sets with a break of 1-2 minutes. During this time, the body has time to rest and prepare for the next approaches. Do 3-4 approaches at a time. What does it mean? For example, we did exercises with dumbbells 10 times and rested for a minute. We did it again 10 times and rested again. And again they did it 10 times - this will be the third approach.

Use exercises such as push-ups in your workout. The peculiarity of this exercise is that it has many types, with which you can train different muscles of the body, including the shoulders.

If you don’t have dumbbells and barbells, use improvised means

What matters is not what you load your muscles with, what matters is how you load them. In addition, you can train your shoulders simply on the floor, performing various gymnastic exercises

But it’s better to go out into the yard and do a workout on the horizontal bar.

Indications and contraindications:

The barbell overhead press is included in various training programs for professional athletes. Regular training of the shoulder muscles is also necessary for sports fans involved in badminton, tennis, gymnastics or martial arts.

There is no need to perform the exercise if you have any pathology of the shoulder joints. Even with the correct technique, there is a risk of injury. In the position of the barbell behind the head, the position of the shoulder joints is unstable.

Which is better: bench press from behind your head or from your chest?

Most people prefer to do the standing barbell press from the chest. This is a more natural version of the exercise without the high risk of injury. In addition, in the barbell chest press the range of motion is much greater. Because of this, the exercise is considered more effective.

Possible mistakes: how to avoid them?

When working with deltoids, it is very important to do the exercise technically correctly. This will have a positive effect not only on the result, but also on the condition of the shoulders.

As already mentioned, this is a fairly “tender” muscle and does not tolerate technical mistakes. But working with Smith is much easier than with free weights. But still, here you can also make certain mistakes, which we will discuss below:

Calculate your ideal sports weight!

Don't lower the bar to your chest. Some believe that by increasing the range of motion you can better work your shoulders. At the same time, lower the bar until it touches the upper pecs. But, alas, this will not give any effect, but the risk of injury from movement will significantly increase.
Locking elbows at the top of the movement. This will shift the load from the shoulders and transfer it to the triceps.
Sharp, jerky and dynamic movements. Lowering and raising the bar must be done exclusively with controlled movements, so as not to stretch or injure the muscle. Therefore, it is necessary to control every action.
Good and high-quality warm-up. Before you sit down at the machine, it is important to thoroughly stretch the rotator cuff and rotator cuff. In addition, do not forget about the hands and elbows, which also take part in the movement. It would be ideal to perform a few more sets with light weight after warming up.
Neck position. The distant placement of the bar is not allowed, as this significantly increases the load on the joints. The optimal distance is 3-5 cm. The reference point is a vertical projection on the upper chest.
Violation of body position. The lower back, back and neck are pressed tightly against the back of the bench at all stages of the exercise. In this case, the back should be straight. When it bends, an unwanted axial load on the spine will occur.
We do not bring our elbows forward. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, but the load vector will shift to the front beam, and asymmetry may occur. Then you should only move your elbows forward purposefully when you need to pump up the front deltoid.
Reduced range of motion. It is necessary to raise and lower the bar completely to get the effect of the exercise. Partial amplitude is recommended only in cases where forced repetitions are performed. But this is already the lot of experienced pros.

Try to avoid the above mistakes; to do this, ask a coach or more experienced comrades to supervise the execution technique. Since most Smith simulators are located opposite the mirror, you can independently observe and identify errors.