Smith Incline Shoulder Raise
Smith Incline Shoulder Raise is a beginner-level isolation in the strength category that primarily works the shoulders. It also recruits the chest. It is performed with barbell.
How to do it
- 1Place 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.
- 2Using 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.
- 3As you breathe out, lift the bar up until your arms are fully extended. Note: The contraction should be felt around the shoulders.
- 4After a second pause, bring the bar back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
- 5Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- 6When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles in filled badges, secondary in grey. Tap for more exercises per muscle.
Tips and common mistakes
- •Focus on the muscle contraction and control the eccentric (lowering) phase.
- •Add load only once you complete all reps with good form — progressive overload.
- •Press through the full range and avoid snapping the joints into lockout.
- •Prioritize full range of motion over heavy weight with partial reps.
Sets and reps
For hypertrophy: 3–4 sets × 8–12 reps with 1–2 reps in reserve (RPE 7–9) and 1–2 minutes rest. For strength: 3–5 × 4–6 with longer rest.