16 Best Smith Machine Exercises (You Absolutely Have To Do) (2024)

The Kaz press is the little-known Smith machine exercise developed by three-time world’s strongest man Bill “Kaz” Kaszmaier.

He created the movement to helpimprove his lateral head tricep strength,and it worked perfectly; he held the bench press world record for a while.

Themovement blends the close-grip bench press and the tricep extension.

Using the Smith machine instead of a free-weight barbell removes any instability, allowing you to use heavier weights. It’s a great exercise to have in your Smith machine workout plan.

However, the movement can place a lot of strain on the wrist, and elbow joints, so it’s not for everyone.

• Builds your chest and tricep strength with carry-over to your bench press.
• Using a Smith machine provides stability allowing you to lift heavier weights.
• The Smith machine is easier on the elbow joint (but can still cause aggravation).

1. Lie on a flat bench under the Smith machine.
   
2. Hold the barbell with an overhand shoulder-width grip.
   
3. Keep your elbows tucked and unrack the barbell.
   
4. Bend your elbows and lower the bar towards your upper chest. (Your forearms should flatten to your body).
   
5. Push back to the starting position and repeat.

Performing the incline barbell bench press on the Smith machine is one of my go-to exercises during my chest workout.

The Smith machine’s safety hooks allow you tolift heavy weights without needing a spotter.Nobody wants to drop the barbell on their face, right?

Usually, I’d opt for free-weight bench presses, but a 2010 study found that the muscle activation during the Smith machine and free-weight bench presses are pretty similar, so you don’t need to worry too much about missing out on muscle gains.[1]

If you want to target your upper chest muscles, the Smith machine incline bench press is aneffective way to activate your upper pecswithout the dangers of the free-weight bench press.

However, when performing Smith machine bench presses, your stabilizer muscles aren't engaged.

This is both a good and bad thing; you can lift more weight, but it doesn't help strengthen your stabilizers.

This movement is also a fantasticalternative to standard incline barbell bench press.

• Works your upper pecs and shoulders.
• You can use heavier weights without needing a spotter.
• Strength gains carry over to other pressing movements.

1. Set a bench to 30-45 degrees.
   
2. Lie on the bench and grab the bar with an overhand grip shoulder width apart.
   
3. Unrack the bar, draw your shoulder blades into the bench, and slowly lower it to your chest.
   
4. Pause at the bottom and press it back to the starting position.
   
5. Repeat.

This Smith machine exercise is a must if you want to develop your back muscles, such as your lats.

When you use the Smith machine for bent-over row, you can usually lift more weight than you would while using free weights.

As with the Smith machine bench press, your stabilizer muscles aren't engaged, allowing you tofocus on working your lats, traps, and rhomboids.

Using a Smith machine for bent over row allows you to achieve the same range of motion you get performing the free weight version.

• It isolates your lats, traps, and rhomboids by removing your stabilizer muscle from the equation.
• You can lift heavier than usual.
• Bent over rows improve your posture.

1. Lower the bar to the bottom of the Smith machine rack.
   
2. Grab the bar with an overhand grip (slightly wider than shoulder-width apart).
   
3. Keep your back straight and hinge from your hips. Bend your knees slightly.
   
4. Pull the bar to your mid-stomach and squeeze your lats together.
   
5. Slowly lower and repeat.

Related Article -Best Barbell Bent Over Row Alternatives

While the inverted row is a bodyweight movement that works the bicepsand back, using a Smith machine allows you to adjust the bar height easily, making the exercise highly versatile.

You can perform this exercise using a power rack and Olympic barbell, but the Smith machine setup is much easier.

Plus, you don’t want to be the person hogging the squat rack and not doing squats.

I’m a fan of the Smith machine inverted row, as it’s a great way to develop upper body strength for pull-ups.

• Builds your back muscles (lats, traps, rhomboids), arms, and forearms.
• Horizontal position puts less strain on your lower back.
• The perfect starting point for beginners to build up to pull-ups.
• It places constant tension on your back muscles.

1. Set an empty barbell to hip height.
   
2. Lie on the floor (face up) and grab the bar with an overhand grip, shoulder width apart.
   
3. Place your feet hip-width apart.
   
4. Brace your core and keep your back straight. Lift yourself from the floor until your chest touches the barbell.
   
5. Slowly lower and repeat.

Want to build massive traps? - If so, this is one of the best Smith machine exercises you can do to target your trap muscles.

Using the Smith machine, you can overload the barbell, which results in massive muscle activation in your traps.

There are multiple ways you can use the Smith machine for shrugs; you can perform the traditional barbell shrug, single arm shrug, and reverse shrug.

Shrugs are fantastic for developing shoulder stabilization and can help you improve other lifts while reducing injury risk.

• Easy for all levels of ability.
• You can overload the traps with heavy weight.
• Perfect for isolating your traps.
• Improves shoulder stabilization.

1. Set the Smith machine to waist height.
   
2. Hold the barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
   
3. Unrack the bar and retract your shoulder blades.
   
4. Shrug your shoulders upwards and lower.
   
5. Repeat.

Forget leg presses; if you want to give your legs a workout using the Smith machine, the split squat is one of the best leg exercises around.

Thesplit squat strengthens your entire lower body: your quads, hamstrings, and glutes perform all of the major work.

By using the Smith machine during the split squat, you have greater stability. The additional stability allows you to take a bigger stride forward,increasing your hip flexion and glute stretch.

As the exercise trains one side at a time, you can iron out any muscle imbalance that you might have.

• It can fix muscle imbalances.
• Strengthens your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
• Safe for beginners.
• Easier on your lower back than back squats.

1. Set a flat bench or platform behind the Smith machine.
   
2. Put the Smith bar on your traps and place your strongest foot on the bench.
   
3. Take a big stride forward (around 2-3 ft).
   
4. Lower your body until your legs reach 90 degrees. (Don’t touch the floor).
   
5. Complete your set and repeat on the other side.

Read More -Split Squat Vs Lunge

Good mornings are one of the most powerful posterior chain exercises you can perform on a Smith machine.

Many powerlifters, athletes, and bodybuilders do this exercise to build bigger glutes and hamstrings while developing a strong lower back.

By doing good mornings with a Smith machine, you don’t need to keep your torso stable, allowing you to focus on the hip hinge movement and the muscles you want to develop.

I wouldn’t recommend this movement to beginners as it’s a complex exercise, and you can still injure yourself if you don’t do it correctly…even on a Smith machine.

• Strengthens posterior chain muscles.
• Helps prevent back injuries.
• Works your erector spinae.

1. Place the Smith bar on your upper traps.
   
2. Unhook the bar and brace your core.
   
3. Send your hips backwards, with a small bend in your knees.
   
4. Get as parallel to the floor as possible, and return to the starting position.
   
5. Repeat.

Related Article -Good Mornings Vs Deadlifts

Want to build a powerful set of glutes? - You need to perform the Smith machine hip thrust. Men often overlook hip thrusting as they think it’s a “woman’s” exercise.

However, this couldn’t be any further from the truth. It’s been proven thathip thrusts can improve athletic performance in athletes,making them more powerful and explosive.[2]

The Smith machine hip thrust is easier to perform when compared to the free weight version. This is largely because it requires less stabilization (noticing a theme here?).

Strengthening your glutes will help you in all aspects of training, ranging from running faster, less likely to get injured, improved back health, better deadlift lockout, and squat strength.

This exercise is also a perfect beginneralternative to regular barbell hip thrusts allowing you to go heavier but maintain form.

• Excellent glute developer.
• Develops a lot of explosive power.
• Strengthens your posterior chain, reducing injury risk.
• Less technical than the free weights version.

1. Set a bench behind the Smith machine.
   
2. Place your middle back against the bench.
   
3. Put the barbell over your hip crease.
   
4. Move your feet hip-width apart with a bend in the knees.
   
5. Thrust upwards and unhook the bar.
   
6. Lower your hips to just above the floor.
   
7. Push upwards and squeeze your glutes explosively.
   
8. Repeat.

This wouldn’t be a list of effective Smith machine exercises without some type of deadlift.

The Romanian deadlift is one of the best lower body exercises that works your glutes and hamstrings through a large range of motion. Most lower body exercises gym-goers perform will require a lot of quad activation.

However, with the Smith machine Romanian deadlift, the quads are barely used other than to help stabilize the knee joints.

As it's being performed on a Smith machine, it's generally easier to do and could be better for some beginners. I often find the fixed plane of movement unnatural, and some of my clients prefer using free weights instead.

This isn’t the best movement if you suffer from back pain, as it will place stress on your lower back.

• Promotes hamstring, glutes, and lower back hypertrophy.
• Helps increase lockout strength for regular deadlifts.
• You can use heavier weights or increase the volume using the Smith machine.

1. Set the bar to mid-shin level.
   
2. Stand tall with your feet placed hip-width apart.
   
3. Hinge from the hips with a straight spine and hold the barbell with an overhand grip (hands just outside your knees).
   
4. Bend your knees slightly at all times.
   
5. Unhook the bar and push your hips forward, straightening your body.
   
6. Slowly lower stretching your hamstrings.
   
7. Repeat.

Related Article -Can You Deadlift On A Smith Machine?

Wait…another deadlift variation? - Yep, this one is an absolute killer for your hamstrings and glutes. As you can tell from the name, it involves you working one side at a time.

Working one side at a time eliminates any muscular imbalances that might occur, as each side needs to work equally as hard. I’m a massive fan of this movement and can guarantee you’ll learn to love it too.

Again, as the barbell is on a set plane of motion, it stabilizes the bar for you. If you’ve struggled with balance during the regular single-leg deadlift, give this variation a go.

• Works both sides separately, ironing out any muscular imbalances.
• You can use heavier loads than usual.
• Single-leg RDLs are easier to perform on the Smith Machine.

1. Stand behind a hip-level bar.
   
2. Place one leg slightly behind the other.
   
3. Unhook the bar and brace your core; ensure your back is straight.
   
4. Hinge from your hips and hold the bar with an overhand grip placed shoulder width apart.
   
5. As you lower the bar, your rear leg raises.
   
6. When your hamstring is fully stretched, push your hips forward.
   
7. Repeat until your set is complete and swap sides.

Reverse lunges are possibly one of the easier variations of the lunge, but they can still give you one hell of a leg pump.

Performing this movement on the Smith machine allows you tofocus solely on loading the legs without worrying about your balance.

This Smith machine reverse lunge is an excellent exercise for anyone who suffers from knee pain. As you’re stepping backwards, it involves more hip movement, which places less stress on your knees.

As it’s a unilateral exercise, it’s excellent for fixing muscle imbalances.

• Easier on the knees and lower back.
• Can focus your efforts on your quads or hamstrings by adjusting your stance.
• You can load the barbell with a heavy weight.
• Excellent for fixing muscle imbalances.

1. Stand with the bar on your upper traps.
   
2. Unhook the bar and step back with one leg.
   
3. Lower your body by bending your knees to 90 degrees.
   
4. Push upwards and bring your back leg forward and finish your set.
   
5. Swap legs and repeat.

The Smith machine front and back squat is a controversial topic for most lifters and strength coaches, mainly as it's often disputed that it can cause injury.

This is mainly because the Smith machine's set path doesn't allow your body to move naturally, causing stress on your muscles and joints.

While this idea isn’t wrong, if performed correctly, it can be anexcellent muscle builder for your lower body and will eliminate any need for a leg press.

However, in my personal opinion, I wouldn’t give this movement to a client. Too much can go wrong, and unless you’re an advanced lifter with years of experience squatting, you might hurt yourself.

• You can load the machine up with a lot more weight.
• Improved stability.
• It works your entire body.

1. Stand under the bar and place it on your traps.
   
2. Place your feet hip-width.
   
3. Unhook the bar and sit back while bending your knees.
   
4. Stop at 90 degrees.
   
5. Push upwards and repeat.

Read Also -Leg Press Vs Squats

We’ve covered the inverted row; well, this is the next progression on your way to doing a pull-up. This bodyweight movement works your lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps, and forearms.

You could argue that your shoulder muscles are activated too. As you can see, you get a lot of muscle activation.

I like this exercise as it gives you a clear path to performing pull-ups, which can evade most gym-goers.

• One step closer to real pull-ups.
• Works most of your upper body.
• Great for intermediate gym-goers.
• A relatively safe movement to perform.

1. Place the bar around chest height.
   
2. Sit on the floor and grab the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
   
3. Put your feet out front but keep your body upright.
   
4. Pull yourself vertically up using your feet to support your weight.
   
5. Slowly lower your body.
   
6. Repeat.

Related Article -Best Regular Pull Up Substitutes

Want to blast your biceps into oblivion? - The Smith machine drag curl is the exercise for you.

The drag curlcompletely isolates your biceps brachaii,working both the short headandlong head bicep muscles.

It’s a fantastic exercise to add at the end of your workout as it gets the blood pumping and burns like hell.

I've seen many clients get Popeye-esque arms by including this exercise into their routines; I recommend you do the same.

The Smith machine stabilizes the barbell and completely isolates the biceps, helping to promote hypertrophy.

• Completely isolates the biceps brachaii.
• Improved stability helps your lift more.
• You get a brilliant bicep pump.

1. Stand with the barbell at hip level.
   
2. Hold the bar with an underhand hip-width grip.
   
3. Unhook the bar and let your arms hang.
   
4. Draw your elbows back and upwards as you drag the bar up your body.
   
5. Squeeze at the top.
   
6. Slowly lower and repeat.

Related Article - Which Way To Face On A Smith Machine?

Nobody wants a big upper body and small legs, so it’s important to train your calf muscles adequately.

The Smith machine standing calf raise works the lower portion of your legs,ensuring that nobody will ever call you "chicken legs."

It works your calf muscles and is equally as good as using a regular standing calf raise machine. It's also a greatseated calf raise alternative.

Your muscles need to move through an extensive range of motion that’ll leave you with DOMs the next day.

• Increased stability so you can lift more during your calf raises.
• Feels easier than the standard barbell and machine versions.
• You’re safer as you can hook the bar anytime you want.
• A huge range of motion is used.

1. Stand on a solid, raised platform.
   
2. Set the barbell to shoulder height.
   
3. Place the balls of your feet on the edge of the platform.
   
4. Unhook the bar and lower your heels until your calf muscles are at full stretch.
   
5. Push upwards and tense your calves.
   
6. Repeat.