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How to do it
- Set the Smith machine bar to the lowest catch height and load it.
- Face the bar and take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.
- Unlock the bar, push your hips back with soft knees, and set a flat back.
- Let the bar hang just below your knees, then pull it up to your lower ribs.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top and keep the torso still.
- Lower the bar along the rails to straight arms and repeat.
Common mistakes
- Standing up as you row, which shortens the range and moves the lift to the hips.
- Letting the lower back round under load, which concentrates stress on the lumbar spine.
- Bouncing the bar at the bottom, which replaces back tension with momentum.
- Pulling high to the chest with flared elbows, which drops the lats out of the movement.
Muscles worked
- Secondary
- AbsBicepsFront Delts
Same movement, other equipment
Similar exercises
Good to know
- What muscles does the Smith Machine Bent-Over Row work?
- Mainly the lats and traps. It also works the abs, biceps and front delts.
- What equipment do you need for the Smith Machine Bent-Over Row?
- It uses a machine. Without it, the Barbell Bent Over Row - Overhand and the Pendlay Row train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Smith Machine Bent-Over Row good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Backpack Row.