Shoulders · Smith Machine
Smith Standing Shoulder Press
How to do the smith standing 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 the Smith bar at upper-chest height and stand under it with feet shoulder-width and a slight knee bend. Grip the bar just outside shoulder width, brace your ribs down, and press it overhead along the fixed track until your arms are nearly straight. Lower with control to chin level and repeat.
- 1Front and side delts driving the bar up
- 2Triceps finishing the lockout
- 3A braced trunk with the ribs pulled down
Common mistakes
- Overarching the low back to push the bar
- Flaring the ribs at the top
- Bouncing out of the bottom of each rep
Muscles worked
The smith standing 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 standing 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.