Chest-Supported Smith Row

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.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

How it compares

Compared with the Seated Cable Row, it loads Rear delts 10 points lower, Mid-back / traps 5 points higher, Forearms 5 points lower. It needs Smith machine + Bench where the other uses Cable machine. Compared with the Smith Machine Upright Row, it loads Side delts 75 points lower, Rear delts 60 points higher, Mid-back / traps 50 points higher. It needs Smith machine + Bench where the other uses Smith machine.

Other ways to train this

• Seated Cable Row Cable machine
• Barbell Row BarbellIntermediate
• Dumbbell Row Dumbbells
• Machine Row Machines
• T-Bar Row BarbellProfessional
• Chest-Supported Row DumbbellsBench
• Inverted Row Pull-up bar
• Two-Arm Kettlebell Row Kettlebells
• Cable Bent-Over Row Cable machineIntermediate
• Smith Machine Row Smith machine
• Chest-Supported Kettlebell Row KettlebellsBench
• TRX Row Suspension trainer
• Pendlay Row BarbellIntermediate
• Wide-Grip Cable Row Cable machine
• One-Arm Chest-Supported Row DumbbellsBenchIntermediate
• One-Arm Kettlebell Row KettlebellsIntermediate

Other exercises for the Mid-back / traps

• Smith Machine Upright Row 45% Smith machine
• Seated Lateral Raises 25% DumbbellsBench
• Side-Lying Lateral Raise 15% DumbbellsBench
• Barbell Shrugs 70% Barbell

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.