Smith Machine Bent Over Row

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

HOW TO PERFORM

Set Up: Place the Smith machine bar at roughly knee height. Stand close to the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart.
The Grip: Hinge forward at your hips, keeping your soft knees bent and your back completely flat. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width using an overhand (pronated) grip. Unhook the bar from the safety pegs.
The Starting Position: Let the bar hang directly below your shoulders. Engage your core and keep your head in a neutral position (looking slightly ahead on the floor, not up at the mirror).
The Pull: Pull the bar toward your lower chest or upper abdomen. Focus on driving your elbows up toward the ceiling and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
The Return: Lower the weight under control back to the starting position, fully extending your arms without letting your lower back round.

The fixed bar path removes the balance, not the hinge: the low back holds the position here exactly as it does on a barbell row, which is what separates it from a chest-supported machine row.

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.