Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

Also called smith scap push-up, smith incline shrug press and incline scapular protraction.

Works

Shoulders, plus chest

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Place an incline bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the incline bench and make sure your shoulders are aligned right under the barbell.

1. Using a shoulder width pronated (palms forward) grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with a slight bend at the elbows. This will be your starting position.
2. As you breathe out, lift the bar up until your arms are fully extended. Note: The contraction should be felt around the shoulders.
3. After a second pause, bring the bar back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Cues

• Arms straight, slight elbow bend.
• Reach the bar to the ceiling.
• Move only the shoulder blades.
• Pause 1 second at the top.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows.
• Shrugging toward the ears.

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.

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