Skip to content
Top Selling Flavors of the Outright Bars are In Stock Now!
Snag Some Outright Bars Today!

Smith Machine Overhead Press

Exercise Summary
Primary Muscle(s) Shoulders
Secondary Muscle(s) Triceps
Equipment Machine
Emphasis Compound
Type Push

Smith Machine Overhead Press Instructions

  • Place a bench in the machine angled at 90-degrees and set the barbell to the appropriate height.
  • Be seated in a strong, athletic posture: chest up, core braced, and shoulders pinned back.
    • Upper back is against the bench.
  • Grip the barbell slightly outside of shoulder-width. 
    • Your wrist should be stacked on top of your elbow.
    • Do not let your wrist "roll back".
  • As you grip the barbell, create torque off the bar by externally rotating your shoulder blades back into their sockets. 
    • You are creating a strong, safe shoulder position to press from.
  • Unrack the bar.
  • Press the bar in a controlled manner to a stable position overhead.
  • At the top, your arms are fully extended and the bar is in a stable position overhead.
    • Don't shrug your shoulders at the top.
  • In a slow, controlled manner, lower the weight down until the bar is just under your nose or chin.

*Tips*

  • Since it is a Smith Machine, the bar path will be fixed. Meaning, you can load the barbell a bit more than normal.
  • You ALWAYS want to be in control of the barbell. Do not fling the barbell up and down the machine.
Previous article Chin-up