Bent Over Row (Smith Machine)

How to do it

1. Stand with the bar over your feet, hinge your hips back, soften your knees and grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders.
2. Unrack and let the bar hang from straight arms with your trunk close to parallel and your back flat.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lead with your elbows.
4. Row until the bar touches your lower chest or stomach.
5. Lower under control to straight arms without standing up.

Key cues

• Hinge, hips back
• Flat back, still trunk
• Lead with the elbows
• Squeeze the shoulder blades
• Lower slowly

Common mistakes

• Standing too upright instead of staying bent over
• Swinging the hips to heave the bar up
• Pulling with the arms instead of the back
• Letting the chest drop and the elbows flare

Muscles worked

Primary

Lats and upper back

Secondary

Traps, lower back, hamstrings, biceps and forearms

Equipment

Smith machine and weight plates.

Variations

• Bent Over Row (Barbell)

  Barbell · Lats, upper back · Pull

• Bent Over Row (Kettlebell)

  Kettlebell · Lats, traps · Pull

References

1. BarBend: Smith Machine Bent-Over Row
2. StrengthLog: Barbell Row