10 Best Smith Machine Bench Press Alternatives for Gym & Home
If you can't use the Smith Machine bench press, use flat barbell bench, dumbbell bench, push-ups, incline dumbbell press, or seated chest press. Retract your scapulae, tuck elbows ~45°, and drive the bar or dumbbells through the sternum to load the pectoralis major and engage rotator-cuff stabilizers.
Original Exercise: Smith Machine Bench Press
How to Perform Smith Machine Bench Press
- 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.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
- 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.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, lock the bar back in the rack.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Smith Machine Bench Press Alternatives
1. Cable Bench Press
87.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Adjust the cable machine to chest height and attach the handles.
- Stand facing away from the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and step forward to create tension in the cables.
- Position your feet firmly on the ground and engage your core.
- Bend your elbows and bring your hands to shoulder level, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
2. Band Bench Press
87.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the band handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your arms fully, pushing the bands away from your chest.
- Slowly lower the bands back down to your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Bench Press - With Bands
87.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Using a flat bench secure a band under the leg of the bench that is nearest to your head.
- Once the band is secure, grab it by both handles and lie down on the bench.
- Extend your arms so that you are holding the band handles in front of you at shoulder width.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- Bring down the handles slowly until your elbow forms a 90 degree angle. Keep full control at all times.
4. Bench Press - Powerlifting
87.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin by lying on the bench, getting your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement.
- However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart.
- Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
- Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
5. Bench Press With Chains
86.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Adjust the leader chain, shortening it to the desired length.Place the chains on the sleeves of the bar.
- Lying on the bench, get your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar.
- Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
- Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
6. Dumbbell Bench Press
86.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing forward and your arms extended above your chest.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
86.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie back on a flat bench. 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. This will be your starting position.
- From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
8. Barbell Wide Bench Press
85.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a wide grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Lower the barbell slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows slightly flared out.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.
9. Barbell Bench Press
85.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Lower the barbell slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
10. Dumbbell Reverse Bench Press
82.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing towards your feet.
- Extend your arms straight up towards the ceiling, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells towards your chest, allowing your elbows to flare out to the sides.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
Why You Might Need a Smith Machine Bench Press Alternative
You may substitute the Smith Machine because of shoulder pain, limited equipment, or a desire for better stabilization work. The Smith locks the bar path, which can shift load onto the anterior deltoid and reduce scapular motion; that alters how the sternal and clavicular heads of the pectoralis major activate. Free-weight presses and unilateral moves restore natural shoulder tracking and force recruitment of rotator cuff and serratus anterior stabilizers. If you have impingement, choose a neutral-grip dumbbell press and tuck elbows to ~45° to lower subacromial stress. If access is the issue, push-ups or a seated machine press let you progress safely with similar pec loading.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Match the substitute to your goal, equipment, and shoulder health. For maximal bar-loaded strength use the barbell bench and a spotter; cue full range of motion and a tight scapular retraction. For balanced hypertrophy or to correct imbalances pick dumbbell presses or single-arm incline presses; pause 1–2 seconds at the bottom to increase time under tension and mind-muscle connection. If you have shoulder issues favor neutral grips and slightly narrower ranges to reduce external rotation torque. Consider grip width: wider presses bias the sternal pec, incline shifts load to the clavicular head, and unilateral work recruits stabilizers more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Smith Machine Bench Press work?
The Smith Machine bench press primarily targets the pectoralis major (sternal and clavicular heads), with secondary loading of the anterior deltoid and triceps. Because the bar path is fixed, you get less rotator-cuff and serratus anterior stabilization compared with free-weight presses; retract the scapulae to emphasize pec recruitment.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Smith Machine Bench Press?
Weighted or elevated push-up variations are the best bodyweight alternative — try ring push-ups or decline push-ups to increase chest load. Keep hands slightly wider than shoulder width, retract scapulae, and lower until your chest grazes your hands to maximize pectoralis major and serratus activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Smith Machine Bench Press?
Yes. You can build chest mass using barbell bench, dumbbell presses, dips, and progressive overload via reps, load, or tempo. Track progressive increases, pause reps at the bottom to boost time under tension, and focus on pec contraction to ensure hypertrophy.
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