Smith Incline Shoulder Raise

A shoulder isolation exercise performed on an incline bench using the Smith machine to target the front deltoids.

Instructions

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 shoulders are aligned right under the barbell.
2. Using a shoulder width pronated (palms forward) grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with a slight bend at the elbows. This will be your starting position.
3. As you breathe out, lift the bar up until your arms are fully extended. Note: The contraction should be felt around the shoulders.
4. After a second pause, bring the bar back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
6. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Tips

• Control the weight on both the lift and descent.
• Maintain a slight bend at the elbows to reduce joint stress.
• Keep your back firmly against the incline bench throughout.