Smith Machine Push Up
When you think of the Smith machine, you probably don't think of a push up, but the smith machine is a great place to do push-ups. By starting the bar up high you can perform a push up regardless of your fitness level, as your strength increases, you can lower the bar, making it a greater challenge and increasing your strength incrementally.
Primary Muscles Used
Smith Machine Push up Instructions
- Start by positioning the bar at the desired height in the locked position. The higher the starting point of the bar, the easier the exercise will be.
- Position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and grip the bar firmly with an overhand grip. Don't lock out the elbows; keep them slightly bent. Extend your legs back so you are balanced on your hands and feet, with more pressure on your feet than your hands, your feet hip-width apart.
- Contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
- Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself to the smith machine bar, until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
- Exhale while contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through your hands, returning to the start position.
- Repeat.
Benefits of the Smith Machine Push Up
- The abdominal muscles are used to hold the body rigid during the push-up so you are not only doing a pushup but a plank during this exercise.
- As the smith machine push-up involves multiple joints, it is a compound exercise.
- There are few exercises that work almost your entire body at one time, the Smith Machine Push Up is one of those exercises.
- By slowly lowering the bar as your strength increases you can move to a complete full pushup.
- You can increase your recruitment of the pecs by squeezing your hands together while you push up.
If you are ready to maximize your results, and really get the most benefit out of each and every machine inside our club, give us a call at 770-751-1837 or call Tim Shevlin directly at 470-604-0038 to set up your free session!
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