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Exercise library / Chest-Supported Smith Machine Row

Chest-Supported Smith Machine Row

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A row performed against an inclined pad inside the Smith machine, where the chest support removes the lower back from the movement and the guided bar keeps the pull in one line.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Starting
Equipment
Gym machines, A bench
Load
A guided machine path
Stability
Guided by a machine
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

A gym machine, with a trained person to show you the set-up the first time.

How to do it

  1. Set an incline bench inside the Smith machine facing the bar, and set the bar low enough that your arms hang straight when you lean on the pad.
  2. Stand astride the bench with your feet planted and your chest resting against the top of the pad.
  3. Take an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder-width and unhook the bar with your arms extended.
  4. Pull the bar up to your lower chest, leading with your elbows and squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top.
  5. Lower the bar under control until your arms are straight again, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

How much

To start: 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 slow repetitions, resting 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

As it gets easier: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions with good form, resting 1 to 3 minutes. Add load or repetitions gradually, no more than about once a week.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Keep your chest on the pad for every repetition. The moment you push off it to move the weight you have turned this back into a bent-over row and given up the reason for the setup.
  • Lead with the elbows and stop when they pass your torso. Pulling further only rolls the shoulders forward and the fixed bar path leaves nowhere for them to go.
  • Because your lower back is doing nothing here, this is the row to use on a day when a bent-over row is not an option -- match the weight to what your back can pull, not to what your legs could brace.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Adjust the seat, pads and range so the machine fits your body before you add weight.
More safety notes
  • Start with a light weight and learn the movement.
  • Use the full, controlled range that feels comfortable. Do not let the weight stack drop or bounce.
  • Keep your back long and neutral. Do not round your lower back under load.
  • Brace your abdominal muscles gently before you lift and keep the load close to your body.
  • Use a lighter load until your form is steady, and add weight slowly.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • A pad or handle does not fit and cannot be adjusted.
  • You cannot control the weight through the whole movement.
  • You feel pain in your lower back, or your back rounds and you cannot correct it.
  • You feel pain, tingling or numbness that spreads into a leg.

Other ways to do this movement

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Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.