Skip to main content

Hominin · exercise

Decline Smith Press

Decline Smith Press is a beginner strength exercise using machine. It works the chest, with help from the shoulders and triceps.

beginnermachinepush movementcompoundstrength

Main muscles
chest
Also works
shoulders, triceps

How to do it

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

Watch a form tutorial on YouTube · Search Hominin for it

Similar exercises

General information, not medical advice: start light, learn the movement before adding weight, and ask a qualified coach or doctor if you are injured or unsure. Exercise data from the Free Exercise DB (public domain).

Decline Smith Press: muscles worked and how to do it | Hominin