Shoulders · Smith Machine
Smith Seated Shoulder Press
How to do the smith seated shoulder press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Smith Machine
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- VerticalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set an upright bench inside the Smith machine so the bar starts around chin level. Brace your ribs down, press the bar overhead along the track until your arms are nearly extended, then lower slowly until you feel a stretch in your shoulders.
- 1Front and side delts driving the bar overhead
- 2Triceps finishing the lockout near the top
- 3Stable trunk with a clean vertical bar path
Common mistakes
- Overarching your low back and flaring your ribs
- Bouncing out of the bottom
- Letting your elbows drift too far behind you
Muscles worked
The smith seated shoulder press mainly works the front delts, triceps, and side delts, with the forearms, upper chest, upper traps, and upper abs assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Side DeltsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the smith seated shoulder 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 shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.