Home / Exercises

Smith Machine JM Press

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

Equipment

Machine

HOW TO PERFORM

1. Set a flat bench under the Smith machine and set the safety stops high enough that the bar cannot reach the throat.
2. Take the bar with the hands about shoulder width, turn the wrists to unhook it and hold it at lockout.
3. Lower the bar toward the throat with the elbows tucked in close to the ribs, stopping with the forearms close to the biceps.
4. Press back to lockout by extending the elbows, keeping them tucked the whole way.

FORM TIPS

• The rails fix the bar path, so the bench position decides where the bar lands. Set it so the bar comes down over the throat, not the chest.

TARGET MUSCLES

Primary

• Triceps

Secondary

• Chest
• Shoulders

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.

Try Ægir Iron free →

Related: All exercises · How every exercise is mapped to the muscles it trains