Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press

In SetGrip: Smith Machine Bench Press (Close Grip)

Secondary muscles
Pectorals, Delts
Body part
Upper Arms
Position
Lying
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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The Smith machine's fixed rails take balance out of the close-grip press, and you can rotate the bar onto the hooks if a rep stalls, which makes hard triceps sets more manageable without a spotter. Because the bar path cannot drift, set your torso so the bar meets your lower chest with elbows tucked, and expect the groove to feel different from the free-weight version.

How to do the Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press

  1. Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Grasp the barbell with a close grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and bend it toward your feet to keep the elbows in and the lats tight.

Muscles worked

Primary

Triceps · Arms

The triceps take over in the top half of the press to lock the elbows, and they do more with a closer grip.

Secondary

  • Pectorals — The pecs press the arms together and forward and are worked hardest at the bottom of the rep when the elbows are below the body.
  • Delts — The front delts assist every press and take a bigger share on incline variations.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flared to 90 degrees — this puts the shoulder in a poor position at the bottom; tuck the elbows to about 45 to 60 degrees and touch the bar on the lower chest.
  • Losing shoulder blade position — the shoulder blades should be pulled back and down before the unrack and stay there; if they roll forward, the chest loses leverage.
  • Bouncing off the chest — control the bar to a light touch and pause for a beat before pressing; a bounce hides how much you can actually press.
  • Feet dancing around — plant the feet flat and drive them into the floor for the whole set to keep the body tight.

Where it fits in a workout

Bench press goes first in a chest or push session when you are strongest. Superset it with a row for a push and pull pair, or follow it with flies for volume.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without smith machine

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.