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

Smith Machine Bench Press
Primary Muscle
Pectorals
Equipment
Machine
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Shoulders, Triceps
How to Perform Smith Machine Bench Press
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Compound

Ranked Smith Machine Bench Press Alternatives

Best Match
Smith Bench Press

1. Smith Bench Press

99.9% 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 Wide Grip Bench Press

2. Smith Wide Grip Bench Press

97.4% 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.
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

3. 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.
Smith Decline Bench Press

4. Smith Decline Bench Press

90% 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 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.
Smith Incline Bench Press

5. 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.
Band Bench Press

6. Band Bench Press

87.9% Match
Pectorals Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
  2. Grasp the band handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Extend your arms fully, pushing the bands away from your chest.
  4. Slowly lower the bands back down to your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Smith Wide Grip Decline Bench Press

7. Smith Wide Grip Decline Bench Press

87.4% 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.
Bench Press - Powerlifting

8. Bench Press - Powerlifting

87.3% Match
Pectorals Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
  4. 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.
Bench Press - With Bands

9. Bench Press - With Bands

87.3% Match
Pectorals Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Using a flat bench secure a band under the leg of the bench that is nearest to your head.
  2. Once the band is secure, grab it by both handles and lie down on the bench.
  3. Extend your arms so that you are holding the band handles in front of you at shoulder width.
  4. 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.
  5. Bring down the handles slowly until your elbow forms a 90 degree angle. Keep full control at all times.
Bench Press With Chains

10. Bench Press With Chains

86.9% Match
Pectorals Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the leader chain, shortening it to the desired length.Place the chains on the sleeves of the bar.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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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