Smith Machine Row

How to perform the Smith Machine Row

1. Position the Smith bar low in its track and stand over it, feet hip-width, hinging to a bent-over torso angle near parallel.
2. Grip the fixed bar slightly wider than shoulder width with a pronated grip, letting it hang at arm length.
3. The Smith bar travels in a locked vertical path, so set your foot position so that path lines up under your torso.
4. Row the bar straight up to the lower chest or upper abdomen by driving the elbows back and retracting the shoulder blades.
5. Squeeze the mid-back at the top without standing up out of the hinge to meet the bar.
6. Lower the bar along the fixed track under control to full arm extension, keeping the back flat throughout the set.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Standing up out of the hinge to meet the bar rather than keeping the torso angle fixed near parallel.
• •Setting the feet so the fixed vertical bar path does not line up under the torso, straining the shoulders.
• •Rounding the lower back as fatigue sets in under the bar.
• •Shrugging the shoulders up at the top rather than retracting the blades down and together.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.