Decline Smith Press

Also called decline smith machine press, smith decline bench and smith decline press.

Works

Chest, plus shoulders and triceps

Equipment

Machine

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Place a decline bench underneath the Smith machine. Now place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Using a pronated grip that is wider than shoulder width, unlock the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms extended. This will be your starting position.

1. As you inhale, lower the bar under control by allowing the elbows to flex, lightly contacting the torso.
2. After a brief pause, bring the bar back to the starting position by extending the elbows, exhaling as you do so.
3. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
4. When the set is complete, lock the bar back in the rack.

Cues

• Bar over the lower chest.
• Blades back, legs locked.
• Lower to touch the lower chest.
• Press up, pause, repeat.

Common mistakes

• Bouncing off the chest.
• Elbows flaring.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Easier

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