

You repeat this movement for however many reps you see fit. At the top of the movement, your arms are straight and the bar is directly over your shoulders. It’s at this point in your movement that the bar should be touching the lower half of your chest. When you lower the bar, the bar is inched down your chest just a tad. When the bar is lifted, your arms are straight and the bar should be directly over your shoulders. Users are also more able to fully isolate the target muscles (chest, anterior deltoid and triceps).įor a regular bench press, your form goes in two directions. This means that move stabilization muscles are recruited to control the movement, however, it also allows for the possibility of injury if performed incorrectly.įor the Smith machine, the weight can only be moved up and down so there’s less scope for accidental misuse.
IMAGE SMITH MACHINE FREE
With free weight barbell presses, you can move the weight in any direction – straight up and down, or side to side if need be. The path of the bar is different for each bench press. For those who are unfamiliar, barbell bench presses involve Olympic flat benches and free weights, whereas the smith machine bench press used a bar that is attached to the machine. Each side greatly praises the benefits of each (and conveniently downplays the cons). There has been a long battle between whether a cable machine or free weights are better for bench presses. The decision for many people is whether they should do their bench press using a Smith machine or barbell. Although it’s a simple straight up and down movement, it produces excellent results. You just have to ease the bar down towards your chest and then press it back up.

Depending on the variation and technique used, it can also activate your core, back, and legs for stabilization.Ī lot of the appeal of a bench press is that the movements are simple.
IMAGE SMITH MACHINE FULL
It’s considered by some to be the most effective compound movement for a full upper-body workout. Bench presses are great exercise movements as they seriously work out your triceps, shoulders, and chest. The smith machine bench press is a safe and secure way to progress your lifting capabilities.
