Shoulders
Smith Machine Overhead Press
The Smith Machine Overhead Press is a strength exercise in a Smith machine for your shoulders. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: front delts 35%, side delts 17% and triceps (lateral head) 11%.
Also known as: smith machine shoulder press, smith ohp
How to do it
- Place an upright bench inside a smith machine so the bar lowers just in front of your face.
- Sit with your back against the pad and grip the bar just outside shoulder-width.
- Unhook the bar and bring it to the top of your chest with the forearms vertical.
- Press the bar straight up until the arms are straight overhead.
- Lower it under control to about chin level.
Tips
- Set the safety stops at chin height so the bar cannot come lower.
- Check the bench position before loading: the bar should clear your nose.
Common mistakes
- Placing the bench so far back that the bar travels in front of the chest.
- Arching away from the pad.
- Stopping each rep far above the shoulders.
Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Overhead Press
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Seated removes most of the trunk demand. Fixed path, little stabilising. Pressing overhead is shoulder flexion and abduction with elbow extension: the front delt leads, the lateral delt and triceps assist, and the upper traps and serratus rotate the shoulder blade up.
Smith Machine Overhead Press alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
No equipment
Make it harder
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Smith Machine Overhead Press work?
Mainly the front delts. The side delts, triceps (lateral head), triceps (long head) and triceps (medial head) assist.
Is the Smith Machine Overhead Press good for beginners?
Yes. The Smith Machine Overhead Press is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Smith Machine Overhead Press?
For example the Machine Overhead Press Seated, Machine Shoulder Press and Machine Shoulder Press (Neutral Grip). They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Smith Machine Overhead Press harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Seated Barbell Overhead Press and Overhead Press.
Sources
- Saeterbakken and Fimland 2013, JSCR 27(7):1824-1831 (standing, seated, barbell, dumbbell)
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