Smith Machine Bent Over Row
Also known as: Smith Bent Over Row, Smith Machine Row, Smith Machine Barbell Row
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Description
Bend over inside a Smith machine and row the guided bar from knee height to your upper abdomen to build your lats and mid-back. Your lats do most of the pulling, while your middle and lower traps, rhomboids and the small shoulder-blade muscles draw your shoulder blades together; your rear delts and arms help. The bar rides in fixed tracks, so there's nothing to balance, and your foot position decides where it meets your body. It's a good way to learn the bent-over row, or to push hard sets late in a back session with the safety stops set; for the heaviest rows, use a free barbell.
How to Perform
- Set the safety stops a few centimeters below the bottom of your rep, around knee height, and the hooks at mid-thigh.
- Stand behind the bar with your feet hip-width, placed so the bar will hang straight under your shoulders once you lean over.
- Grip the bar overhand with your thumbs wrapped, hands just outside your thighs at shoulder width or a little wider.
- Unhook the bar, soften your knees and push your hips back until your torso leans about 45° (lower only if your back stays flat).
- Let the bar hang at arm's length and brace your stomach, neck in line and eyes on the floor just ahead of your feet.
- Pull your shoulder blades back first, then drive your elbows up and back, about 30–45° from your sides, until the bar touches just under your ribs.
- Squeeze for a second at the top, then lower over about 2 seconds to straight arms, your head at the same height every rep.
- Re-hook the bar only after the last rep, with your back still flat.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Row 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps, up to 15, or 6–8 for strength. Keep the same weight until you get the top number in all sets with the same torso angle and a full squeeze, then add 2.5–5 kg in total and drop back to the low end.
- Bar weight varies from one Smith machine to the next, and some are counterbalanced, so log your plates and compare sessions on the same machine.
- Expect to feel it along the sides of your back and between your shoulder blades. Your lower back and hamstrings only hold the bent-over position: steady effort, never pain. If your biceps and forearms do most of the work, you're pulling with your hands; think “elbows back.”
- Lower back giving out before your upper back? Take weight off and stand a little taller, or switch to the Chest Supported Machine Row. To make it harder, pause 2 seconds at the top or lower over 3–4 seconds.
- Substitutes: Barbell Bent Over Row (free bar, heavier loads, lower torso), Double Dumbbell Bent Over Row (easiest swap when the Smith is taken), T-Bar Bent Over Row, Barbell Bent Over Row From Pin (every rep from a dead stop).
Common Mistakes
- Feet in the wrong spot for the track: the bar scrapes your thighs and knees, or hangs out in front of your shoulders and drags you forward. Move your feet until it hangs straight under your shoulders, and test that with an empty bar before loading.
- Standing up a little on every pull so your hips lift the bar. Lock in your torso angle in the hang and keep your head at one height; if you can't, the weight is too heavy.
- Rowing to your chest or neck with your elbows flared out to 90°. Aim the bar at your upper abdomen and keep your elbows about 30–45° from your sides.
- Cutting reps short, with your elbows stopping level with your torso. Finish each rep with your shoulder blades pinched together and hold it for a second.
- Resting the bar on the safety stops, or bouncing it off them, between reps. Set the stops below your hang so every rep starts from straight arms with the bar in the air.
- Rounding your upper back and letting your shoulders roll forward at the bottom. Keep your chest open; your shoulder blades should spread only a little.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to Smith Machine Bent Over Row for back training and similar movement patterns.
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