How to Perform a Smith Machine Bench Press
Learn How to Perform a Smith Machine Bench Press.
Hello everyone and welcome! In today’s video, I want to demonstrate how to do a smith machine bench press. We do this exercise to activate the chest and also the triceps. So, what do you need while performing this exercise? You obviously require a bench press and a smith machine to do it. Let me talk about the setup before I demonstrate the actual exercise.
Smith Machine Bench Press Setup
At your local gym, you are likely to find the machine unloaded. Setting it up is the most important thing for you once you get there. A lot of people make the mistake of jumping right into exercise when they get to the gym.
You might waste a lot of time trying to get ready if you skip the preparation phase. Secondly, you might perform the exercise inappropriately putting too much pressure on your shoulder. Skipping the setup can also cause you discomfort and fail to give you the needed activation.
Smith Machine Bench Press Prep
Preparation starts with making sure that the bench is right at the middle of the smith barbell. Next, you want to make sure that the barbell is at least aligned laterally to your mid-chest region. To check if the barbell is aligned correctly, sit back with your hands positioned at least shoulder-distance apart. If the bench was positioned too far up, the barbell would be too far down resulting in pressure in some areas on your shoulders.
Having the bench too far down will take the barbell higher on your body to the point that it touches your face. You definitely do not want any of these two scenarios happening to you. If you feel some sort of discomfort, try adjusting the seat until it is right for you. Try as much as possible to have the barbell lying medially to your chest.
Doing the above eases everything else for you. Imagine attempting to adjust a loaded barbell! You don’t want that. Load weights on the barbell only when you are sure that the bench and barbell are properly aligned.
Smith Machine Bench Press Motion
When the setup is complete, lay back down on the bench and stretch your hands to hold the bar so as to lift it. Ensure that your chest is up and out before bringing the barbell down and then back up. I feel like I should give a few safety tips at this point.
The smith machine’s side has some locks that need to be unlocked to allow movement. To unlock it, push the barbell up then turn it outwards. To lock the barbell unit, pull it inwards. Note that if you plan to perform the exercise on the other side of the machine, the procedure is the opposite of the above. The smith machine bench press is quite a simple exercise if done right.
So folks! That is how to perform the smith machine bench press.
Thanks for watching and that’s my guide on How to Do Cable Chest Fly with Drop Set.
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