10 Best Smith Decline Bench Press Alternatives for Gym or Home

If you can’t use the Smith decline bench press, use decline dumbbell press, barbell decline press, weighted dips, elevated-feet push-ups, or low-cable presses. For decline dumbbell presses, set the bench 15–30° decline, keep elbows at roughly 45° to the torso, and press along the sternum to emphasize lower pec fibers.

Original Exercise: Smith Decline Bench Press

Smith Decline Bench Press
Primary Muscle
Pectorals
Equipment
Smith-machine
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Triceps, Shoulders
How to Perform Smith Decline Bench Press
  1. Adjust the decline bench to the desired angle.
  2. Lie down on the bench with your feet secured under the foot pads.
  3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
  5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Smith Decline Bench Press Alternatives

Best Match
Smith Wide Grip Decline Bench Press

1. Smith Wide Grip Decline Bench Press

97.4% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the decline bench to the desired angle.
  2. Lie down on the bench with your feet secured under the foot pads.
  3. Grasp the barbell with a wide grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows pointed outwards.
  5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
Smith Machine Reverse Decline Close Grip Bench Press

2. Smith Machine Reverse Decline Close Grip Bench Press

96% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the smith machine to a decline position.
  2. Lie down on the bench with your feet secured under the foot pads.
  3. Grasp the barbell with a close grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
  5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position.
Smith Bench Press

3. Smith Bench Press

90% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the height of the smith machine bar to chest level.
  2. Lie flat on the bench with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
  3. Grip the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the bar and lower it towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
  5. Pause for a moment when the bar touches your chest.
Smith Incline Bench Press

4. Smith Incline Bench Press

90% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the bench to a 30-45 degree incline.
  2. Sit on the bench with your back flat against the pad and feet firmly on the ground.
  3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your upper chest, keeping your elbows slightly tucked in.
  5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Smith Machine Bench Press

5. Smith Machine Bench Press

90% Match
Pectorals Machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a flat bench underneath the smith machine. Now place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the flat bench. Using a pronated grip that is wider than shoulder width, unlock the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
  2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
  3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
  5. When you are done, lock the bar back in the rack.
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

6. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

90% Match
Pectorals Machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place an incline bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the incline bench and make sure your upper chest is aligned with the barbell. Using a pronated grip (palms facing forward) that is wider than shoulder width, unlock the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
  2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your upper chest.
  3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
  5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Assisted Wide-grip Chest Dip (kneeling)

7. Assisted Wide-grip Chest Dip (kneeling)

88.7% Match
Pectorals Lever Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the machine to your desired height and secure your knees on the pad.
  2. Grasp the handles with a wide grip and keep your elbows slightly bent.
  3. Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
  4. Push yourself back up to the starting position by extending your arms.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Decline Barbell Bench Press

8. Decline Barbell Bench Press

88.7% Match
Pectorals Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench.
  2. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position. Tip: In order to protect your rotator cuff, it is best if you have a spotter help you lift the barbell off the rack.
  3. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your lower chest.
  4. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up).
  5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Smith Wide Grip Bench Press

9. Smith Wide Grip Bench Press

87.4% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the bench to a comfortable position on the smith machine.
  2. Lie down on the bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  3. Grasp the barbell with a wide grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows out to the sides.
  5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
Dumbbell Decline Bench Press

10. Dumbbell Decline Bench Press

86.6% Match
Pectorals Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie down on a decline bench with your feet secured and your head lower than your hips.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms straight up above your chest, palms facing forward.
  3. Lower the dumbbells slowly to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
  4. Push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Smith Decline Bench Press Alternative

You might substitute the Smith decline for shoulder pain, lack of a Smith machine, travel, or to train unilateral strength. A free-barbell decline or dumbbell decline increases stabilizer activation and forces your pecs and serratus anterior to control the bar path. Dips and decline push-ups shift the humeral adduction and scapular depression pattern to load lower pec fibers with less machine constraint. If you have clavicular discomfort, choose a slightly shallower decline angle or a neutral-grip dumbbell press to reduce anterior deltoid over-recruitment. Match the movement pattern and loading method to your injury profile and training goals.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Consider equipment, shoulder health, stability demands, and loading progression. If you have access to a barbell and spotter, barbell decline lets you load heavy and train mechanical tension; cue a tight lat-braced setup and drive the bar down the sternum. If you want unilateral control and core demand, pick decline dumbbells; keep a neutral wrist and press in a slight arc. For limited equipment or bodyweight focus, choose weighted dips or feet-elevated push-ups and lean the torso forward to bias the lower pecs. Prioritize the movement that lets you increase load or reps safely while maintaining a consistent decline angle and elbow path.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Smith Decline Bench Press work?

The Smith decline bench press primarily targets the lower fibers of the pectoralis major (sternocostal head), plus the anterior deltoids and triceps. The decline angle shifts the humeral adduction vector downward, increasing activation of the lower pecs and requiring scapular depression control from serratus anterior and lower traps.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Smith Decline Bench Press?

Weighted dips are the best bodyweight alternative for lower-pec emphasis; lean the torso forward about 20–30° and descend until elbows reach roughly 90° to maximize lower pec activation. If dips aren’t available, perform feet-elevated push-ups with a similar forward lean to bias the same muscle fibers.

Can I build muscle without doing Smith Decline Bench Press?

Yes. You can build lower-pectal mass using decline dumbbell presses, barbell decline presses, weighted dips, and cable presses by applying progressive overload, consistent volume, and correct decline angle. Focus on controlled eccentric tempo, full-range concentric contraction, and gradually increasing load to drive hypertrophy.

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