Overhead Press (Smith Machine)
Trains the shoulders, with help from the triceps. You need a machine. None of our programs use it yet, but you can add it to any session you build.
Free to use. The app works out every weight and times your rest.
In the programs
None of our programs use the Overhead Press (Smith Machine)
It is in the app, so you can add it to any session and log it like anything else. It is just not written into one of our 50 free programs. If you want a shoulders exercise that is, there are 11 on the Shoulders page.
Muscles worked
What Overhead Press (Smith Machine) trains
Technique
How to do the Overhead Press (Smith Machine)
- Set a bench with an upright backrest under the smith machine bar, or stand under the bar, so it is at upper-chest height. Grip the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Unrack the bar by rotating it off the hooks and hold it at your upper chest with your elbows under your wrists.
- Press the bar straight overhead until your arms are fully extended, without locking your elbows forcefully.
- Lower the bar back to your upper chest with control. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then rotate the bar back onto the hooks.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Keep your core braced and avoid arching your lower back as you press.
- Exhale as you press the bar up and inhale as you lower it.
- Position yourself so the bar path lines up naturally with your shoulders before unracking.
- Avoid locking your elbows harshly at the top; keep a slight bend to protect your joints.
Substitutes
Swap Overhead Press (Smith Machine) for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run the Overhead Press (Smith Machine) for you
Durata picks the weight, times your rest and adds load when you earn it. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.