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Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Chest

Smith Machine Bench Press

Also called Smith bench

MachineCompoundEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Chest

Also delts, triceps

You need

Smith machine, Bench

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Bottom
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Bench placed so the bar meets your lower chest
  2. 2Shoulder blades back and down before you unrack
  3. 3Lower under control and press straight up

Most common mistake

Setting the bench so the bar lands on the neck or the belly.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for chest
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Machine Chest Pressvs Dumbbell Bench Pressvs Barbell Bench Press
A
For chest
#8 of 32
See the full list →
Research
79
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 79
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionExcellent
Low costExcellent

The bench press without the balance or a spotter: easy to push hard safely.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SCable FlyCable
  • SHigh-to-Low Cable FlyCable
  • ALow-to-High Cable FlyCable
  • SPec DeckMachine

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280