ShouldersSmith machineBeginner

How to Do the Smith Machine Shoulder Press

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

ยท Updated Sep 30, 2026

A Smith machine shoulder press is an overhead press on fixed rails. Sit on a near-upright bench set so the bar just clears your nose, lower it to your chin and press straight up. It trains the front delts, with the side delts and triceps helping. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 6-12
Median 10-rep weight 10547.5 lbkg men 4520 lbkg women
Muscles Front delts, side delts, triceps
Setup Bench set so the bar clears your nose
Smith Machine Shoulder Press start and top positions
  1. 1Start. Bench slid in so the bar just clears your nose. Bar at your chin, forearms vertical, back on the pad.
  2. 2Top. Press straight up the rails until your arms are almost straight, then lower the bar back to your chin under control.
Watch 3 video demonstrations
Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do a Smith machine shoulder press

  1. Set a bench one or two notches back from upright and slide it under the bar so the bar just clears your nose. Set the safety stops a little below chin height.
  2. Grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders, so your forearms are vertical when the bar is at your chin. Keep your wrists straight over your forearms.
  3. Plant your feet and brace your abs, with your back and head on the pad. Twist the bar off the hooks.
  4. Press the bar straight up until your arms are almost straight. Let your shoulder blades rise and rotate with your arms at the top.
  5. Lower over 2 to 3 seconds to your chin or upper chest and press again. After the last rep, twist the bar back onto the hooks.
Setup

Where to put the bench

Bench too far forwardThe bar hits your noseYou have to tip your head back or lean away to clear it. Slide the bench back a few inches.
Start hereThe bar just clears your noseIt lowers to your chin or upper chest and finishes above your forehead, with your forearms close to vertical at the bottom.
Bench too far backThe bar runs far in front of youYou press up and away, the top of the rep ends out in front of your head and the front of the shoulder takes the strain.
BackrestUpright or one notch backA slight recline, about 75 to 80 degrees, moves your face back so the bar can pass closer over your shoulders. Lean back further and it turns into an incline press.

A Smith bar moves on a fixed line, so it cannot curve back around your face the way a free barbell does. The bench position decides where that line falls on your body. Once it feels right, note where the bench sits against the frame so every session starts the same. On an angled Smith machine, whose rails tilt a few degrees, face the way that makes the bar travel back toward you as it rises.

Position

Seated or standing, and how low to go

Seated is the usual choice. The bench takes your legs and lower back out of the lift, so you can move more weight: men pressed 10% less with dumbbells standing than seated (Saeterbakken 2013). Standing makes the shoulders work harder at the same relative load. In the same study, seated barbell presses drew 25% less rear delt activity than standing ones, with a trend toward less side delt.

Standing on a Smith machine needs rails tall enough for you to lock out, and it is easy to start pushing with your knees. That turns it into a push press, which is a different lift.

Lower the bar to your chin or upper chest, as far as your shoulders stay comfortable. Stopping at forehead height cuts off the bottom of the rep.

Safety stops

Set them just below the lowest point of your rep. If you fail a rep, lower the bar onto the stops instead of trying to twist it onto the hooks.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you Smith machine shoulder press?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 105 lb (47.5 kg) for 10 reps on the Smith machine shoulder press, and the median woman 45 lb (20 kg).

Men, typical 105 lb for 10 reps
Most lift
75 to 130 lb
Top 10% lift
155 lb or more
Starting out
under 75 lb
Women, typical 45 lb for 10 reps
Most lift
30 to 60 lb
Top 10% lift
75 lb or more
Starting out
under 30 lb
Men, typical 47.5 kg for 10 reps
Most lift
35 to 60 kg
Top 10% lift
70 kg or more
Starting out
under 35 kg
Women, typical 20 kg for 10 reps
Most lift
14 to 27.5 kg
Top 10% lift
35 kg or more
Starting out
under 14 kg
PercentileMenWomen
25th100 / 75 lb40 / 30 lb
Median135 / 105 lb60 / 45 lb
75th175 / 130 lb80 / 60 lb
90th210 / 155 lb100 / 75 lb
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 6,436 men and 764 women who log the Smith machine shoulder press on Gravitus, computed Sep 30, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
PercentileMenWomen
25th47.5 / 35 kg19 / 14 kg
Median62.5 / 47.5 kg27.5 / 20 kg
75th80 / 60 kg35 / 27.5 kg
90th95 / 70 kg45 / 35 kg
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 6,436 men and 764 women who log the Smith machine shoulder press on Gravitus, computed Sep 30, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Smith numbers do not compare between gyms. The bar alone can weigh anything from under 10 lb (5 kg) on a counterbalanced machine to 45 lb (20 kg) or more on one without a counterweight, and lifters do not all log it the same way: some count the bar, some only the plates. Check the label on the frame, log the same way every session, and compare yourself to your own log on the same machine.
Anatomy

Smith machine shoulder press muscles worked

Front deltsRaise the arms forward and overhead. Of eight upper body exercises, the Smith press drew the most front delt activity (Botton 2013).
Primary
Side deltsHelp raise the arms, but work harder in lateral raises than in any press (Botton 2013).
Secondary
TricepsStraighten the elbows as you press, most near the top of the rep.
Secondary
Upper chestHelps raise the arms forward. It works more with the bar in front of your face than behind your neck (Padovan 2026).
Secondary
Rotator cuff, serratus, trapsThe serratus and traps rotate your shoulder blades up as your arms rise, and the rotator cuff keeps each shoulder centred.
Stabilizer
Research

Should you press the bar back and keep your shoulders down?

You cannot press the bar back on a Smith machine. Free-weight guides tell you to move the bar back over your head at the top, but on the rails it only goes straight up. If the top of the rep feels far in front of you, move the bench, not the bar.

Do not pin your shoulders down at the top either. As your arms go overhead, your collarbones rise and your shoulder blades rotate up and tilt back (Ludewig 2009). That movement makes room for the arm. What to avoid is shrugging before the press starts, with your shoulders up by your ears at the bottom.

Three other claims that do not hold up:

  • It builds side delts as well as lateral raises. It does not. Across eight exercises, the Smith press drew the most front delt activity, about 70% of maximum, while the side delts worked hardest in lateral raises (Botton 2013).
  • The pec minor helps you press. It pulls the shoulder blade forward and down, the opposite of what the shoulder blade does as your arms go overhead.
  • The Smith machine builds less muscle than free weights. Over 8 weeks, squats and bench presses on a Smith machine grew the muscles as much as the free-weight versions (Marcos-Frutos 2025), and a review of 13 studies found no difference in growth between machines and free weights (Haugen 2023).
Compare

Smith machine vs dumbbell shoulder press vs barbell overhead press

Smith machine shoulder pressDumbbell shoulder pressBarbell overhead press
PathStraight up the railsYou choose itCurves back around your face
Balance neededLittle, one bar on railsMost, each arm aloneSome, one free bar
SpotterNot needed, with safety stopsHelpful when heavyNeeded near failure
Best forHard sets alone, small weight jumpsRange of motion, one arm at a timeFree-weight pressing strength
Verdict

A tie for growth. In squats and bench presses, Smith machine and free-weight training built muscle equally, and strength rose most on the equipment people trained on (Marcos-Frutos 2025). Use the Smith for hard sets without a spotter, and a barbell if you want a stronger free-weight press.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3-4Sets
6-12Reps
0-2Reps left

Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), and the safety stops let you get there without a spotter.

Add reps first. When every set reaches 12 clean reps, add a 2.5 lb (1.25 kg) plate to each side and drop back to 6 to 8 reps. The press works the front delts most, so pair it with lateral raises for the side delts and a rear delt exercise.

Form

Common mistakes

Variations

Smith machine shoulder press variations

Standing Smith machine shoulder pressMore shoulder work at the same relative load, and less weight. Needs tall rails.
Smith machine Z pressSeated on the floor with your legs straight out, so you cannot lean back.
Smith machine behind-the-neck pressWith a free bar, pressing behind the neck drew more rear delt and less upper chest than a front press (Coratella 2022, Padovan 2026). Needs good shoulder mobility.
High incline Smith machine pressThe backrest set lower, so more upper chest and less shoulder.
Barbell overhead pressThe free-bar version. The bar curves back over your head at the top.
Dumbbell Shoulder PressEach arm works alone and you choose the path.
FAQ

Questions people ask

What does smith machine shoulder press work?

The front delts most, with the side delts, triceps and upper chest helping. Of eight upper body exercises, the Smith press drew the most front delt activity (Botton 2013).

Does smith machine shoulder press work side delts?

Some, but it is not the best side delt exercise. The side delts worked harder in lateral raises than in the Smith press (Botton 2013). Add lateral raises if you want wider shoulders.

What is the best angle for smith machine shoulder press?

Upright or one notch back, about 75 to 80 degrees. The slight recline lets the bar clear your face while it stays close over your shoulders. Lower than that and it becomes an incline press.

Seated or standing smith machine shoulder press?

Seated for most people. You can press more weight seated, while standing makes the shoulders work harder at the same relative load (Saeterbakken 2013). Standing also needs rails tall enough for you to lock out.

Is smith machine shoulder press better than dumbbell shoulder press?

Not for growth. Smith machine and free-weight training built muscle equally in an 8-week study (Marcos-Frutos 2025). The Smith lets you train close to failure alone; dumbbells let each arm work on its own.

Is smith machine shoulder press good?

Yes. It loads the front delts heavily, takes small weight jumps and lets you train close to failure without a spotter. Add lateral raises and a rear delt exercise for the rest of the shoulder.

How much weight should I smith machine shoulder press?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 105 lb (47.5 kg) for men and 45 lb (20 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 130 lb (60 kg) and 60 lb (27.5 kg) or more.

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References
  1. Botton et al. 2013. Medicina Sportiva 17(2):67-71.
  2. Saeterbakken and Fimland 2013. J Strength Cond Res 27(7):1824-1831.
  3. Coratella et al. 2022. Front Physiol 13:825880.
  4. Padovan et al. 2026. J Hum Kinet 103:81-96.
  5. Ludewig et al. 2009. J Bone Joint Surg Am 91(2):378-389.
  6. Marcos-Frutos et al. 2025. Int J Sports Physiol Perform 20(2):292-300.
  7. Haugen et al. 2023. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 15:103.
  8. Schoenfeld et al. 2021. Sports 9(2):32.