Decline Smith Press

How to do the Decline Smith Press

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.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	chest
Secondary	shoulders, triceps
Equipment	machine
Difficulty	beginner
Type	compound

No machine? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Clock Push-Up Bodyweight Decline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Medium Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Wide Bodyweight

Harder than the Decline Smith Press

Plyo Kettlebell Pushups expert · Kettlebell Flat Bench Cable Flyes intermediate · Cable Machine Incline Cable Flye intermediate · Cable Machine

Superset the Decline Smith Press with

Opposing middle back and lats and traps work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Leverage High Row middle back Leverage Iso Row lats Smith Machine Bent Over Row middle back Smith Machine Upright Row traps

Common questions

What muscles does the Decline Smith Press work?

The Decline Smith Press primarily works the chest, with the shoulders and triceps as secondary movers. Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip, and Barbell Guillotine Bench Press train the same muscle, across 11 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Decline Smith Press?

A Machine. Without a machine, Clock Push-Up, Decline Push-Up, and Incline Push-Up train the same muscle, and 17 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Decline Smith Press suitable for beginners?

Yes, the Decline Smith Press is rated beginner. Plyo Kettlebell Pushups, Flat Bench Cable Flyes, and Incline Cable Flye are the progressions from here.

Where should the Decline Smith Press go in a workout?

Early — the Decline Smith Press is compound, working 3 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Leverage High Row and Leverage Iso Row later.

Similar exercises

Alternating Floor Press Kettlebell Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Barbell Barbell Guillotine Bench Press Barbell Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip Barbell Bench Press - With Bands Resistance Bands Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover Dumbbell