Smith Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is an exercise that works all three heads of the deltoid (but not to the same extent). This is the deltoid-shaped muscle responsible for lifting the upper arm.
The pectoralis major also helps lift the arms. This particularly applies to the fibers that run from the clavicle to the upper arm, also known as the 'upper chest'.
In addition to the deltoid itself, various muscles around the shoulder joint are recruited to stabilize it. Smaller stabilizing muscles such as the four rotator cuff muscles, as well as the larger trapezius and deeper-lying muscles that pull the shoulder joint backward and upward.
The triceps play an active role in the arms by extending them, while the biceps have a stabilizing role in keeping the forearms in the correct position. The forearm muscles themselves then stabilize the wrist joint in order to control the dumbbells.
Core muscles such as the abdominal muscles and muscles along the spine keep the torso upright. Depending on the execution (standing, seated with or without back support), their involvement may be greater or lesser.
In the Smith Machine variation, the barbell follows a fixed path of motion.
Smith shoulder press execution
-
1
Focus on your elbows and push them straight upward until your arms are almost extended.
-
2
Lower your arms back down in a controlled manner until your hands are level with your ears. The barbell should then remain just above the crossbars.
-
3
Repeat.
Smith shoulder press
Muscles involved:
Shoulder joint:
- Deltoid
- Rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and the
teres minor)
- Trapezius
- Rhomboid
- Levator scapulae
Arms
- Triceps
- Biceps
- Forearm muscles
Abdomen:
- Rectus abdominis (straight abdominal muscle)
- Obliquus externus abdominis (external oblique muscle)
- Obliquus internus abdominis (internal oblique muscle)
- Transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle, 'corset muscle')
(Lower) back and spine:
- Erector spinae
- Lumbar multifidus
- Quadratus lumborum
Smith shoulder press preparation
- Place a bench with an upright backrest in the Smith Machine rack.
- Set the lower safety stops of the Smith Machine at the correct height. When the bar rests on them and you are seated on the bench, the bar should hang slightly below shoulder height and make contact with the upper chest.
- Place your hands parallel on the bar. Position them approximately wide enough for your forearms to be perpendicular to the bar. Check the markings to ensure that you are centered and that your hands are evenly spaced.
Smith shoulder press technique
The barbell shoulder press is also sometimes called the overhead press and sometimes the military press. However, all three do not mean the same thing.
An overhead press is simply an exercise in which you press something overhead. The barbell shoulder press is therefore a form of overhead press.
The military press is the name of an exercise that is almost never performed anymore. The name is now often incorrectly given to the exercise that is actually the barbell shoulder press.
Some people see the military press as the barbell shoulder press, but with a modification. In the military press you should keep your legs and upper body still, whereas in the overhead pressyou would be allowed to initiate the movement from the hips to create momentum. This is incorrect, although the misunderstanding is understandable.
The real military press was originally performed with the heels of the feet together. As if standing at attention, hence the name. A more difficult stance to remain stable in than when your feet are hip- or shoulder-width apart. This therefore requires more attention and work from the core muscles and stabilizing muscles around the shoulder joint.
Moreover, this narrow stance makes it much more difficult to generate force from your legs. This therefore quickly results in a barbell shoulder press performed with much stricter form than when the feet are positioned wider apart. This does not mean that the military press is a stricter form with the same stance; it is a different stance that enforces stricter form.
The three heads of the deltoid
The deltoid-shaped shoulder muscle pulls on the upper arms from three directions. During the shoulder press, all three of these 'heads' of the shoulder muscle are engaged. However, it is primarily the front head (pars clavicularis) that does the most work, followed by the lateral head (pars acromialis). The rear head (pars spinalis) is engaged considerably less.
The shoulder press can be performed in different ways that shift the load between the heads, but not by much. In most cases, the front of the shoulder produces three times as much effort as the side, which in turn produces on average three times as much effort as the rear.
In front of or behind the head?
The behind neck press is quite controversial, with passionate supporters and opponents. Due to a lack of data, this discussion cannot yet be settled. There is only one study that conducted EMG measurements on one person to measure muscle tension during both variations.
That study shows that there is little difference in peak tension between performing the barbell in front of the head or behind the head. In terms of average tension, however, the behind-the-neck variation would be 'the winner.' All heads show higher average tension, but the difference is greatest in the middle and rear heads.
Opponents then bring up the increased risk of injury. The shoulders must be externally rotated more, which places a (possibly excessively) high load on some of the smaller stabilizing muscles of the rotator cuff. However, research on this is lacking.
At most, this exercise can therefore be cautioned against in cases of existing shoulder complaints or limited mobility of the shoulder joint. Because of the higher difficulty, you could also prefer the barbell shoulder press .
Seated or standing?
Research has shown that when the shoulder press is performed standing, the shoulders (all three heads) produce greater effort. The researchers point to the additional need for stabilization when the exercise is performed standing. This would mean that the standing variation is 'more effective' at engaging the shoulder muscles.
Another possibility, however, is that people often cheat during the seated variation. The standing variation forces you to stand upright so that you do not fall backward. This limits the possible involvement of the chest muscles. On a bench with a backrest, you often see the backrest set at too steep an angle. The person then slides the buttocks somewhat forward, causing them to lean back even more. The shoulders then need to exert less effort because the chest, especially the upper chest, can contribute more.
Smith Machine, dumbbells, or barbells?
The same study showed that the shoulder press with dumbbells engaged the shoulders (all three heads) more intensely in every case than the barbell variation in front of the head. Here too, the greater need for stabilization was mentioned as a possible cause.
Besides requiring the shoulder muscles to perform more stabilizing work with dumbbells, the exercise also has a greater range of motion. At the top of the movement, the hands can move toward each other with dumbbells at the point where the barbell variation has reached its endpoint.
That increased need for stabilization will be absent when performing the exercise on the Smith Machine. In general, free weights require more stabilizing work and therefore greater muscle activity. This would make them preferable to machines. Machines, however, enforce a fixed path of motion and stabilize the body to a greater extent. This makes it easier to concentrate fully on the primary muscles during the exercise.
Alternatives
- Barbell shoulder press
- Seated barbell shoulder press
- Shoulder press machine
Run your fitness business with more structure
- Planning, member management and coaching in one platform
- Built for coaches, studios and gyms
- Fewer separate tools, more overview
