The Smith Machine Seated Overhead Press is a beginner-friendly machine strength exercise that targets the shoulders, with the triceps and abdominals working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesShoulders
Secondary musclesTriceps, Abs
EquipmentMachine
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Smith Machine Seated Overhead Press
Set an adjustable bench upright inside the Smith machine and center it under the bar.
Adjust the bar to about eye level when you are seated, and load it.
Sit with your back flat on the pad and grip the bar just outside shoulder width with an overhand grip.
Unrack the bar by rotating the hooks free, then brace your abs.
Press the bar overhead until your elbows are almost straight.
Lower it under control until your elbows are bent to about ninety degrees, then repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
The fixed bar path lowers the balance demand, so a beginner can press without a spotter.
Seated with back support, leg drive and trunk sway are taken out of the lift.
Easy to load in small increments, which makes progression simple to program.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Sitting too far forward or back, which forces the shoulders along a path that is not their own.
Bouncing the bar out of the bottom, which skips the hardest part of the press.
Arching away from the bench to move a heavier load, which shifts work to the chest and spine.
Assuming the fixed-path load carries straight over to free-weight pressing, which it only partly does.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Smith Machine Seated Overhead Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
