Chest · Smith Machine
Smith Decline Bench Press
How to do the smith decline bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Smith Machine
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set a decline bench inside the Smith machine and secure your feet. Grip the fixed bar slightly wider than shoulder-width, unrack it, lower it to your lower chest, then press straight up the track.
- 1Lower chest and triceps driving the bar up
- 2Shoulder blades pinned and feet locked for a stable base
- 3Strong squeeze in the chest at the top
Common mistakes
- Flaring your elbows or bouncing the bar off your chest
- Lifting your hips off the bench
- Letting your wrists bend back under the bar
Muscles worked
The smith decline bench press mainly works the lower chest and mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, and front delts assisting.
- Lower ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the smith decline bench press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.