Smith Machine Bent Over Row

What it is

This compound pulling exercise builds strength and mass in your middle back. It also actively engages your biceps, latissimus dorsi, and shoulders. You use a smith machine to provide a guided path, allowing you to focus on muscle contraction. Perform this movement with control to maximize back development.

Technique tips

• Set the bar approximately two inches below your knees.
• Keep your back straight and torso almost parallel to the floor.
• Maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout the set.
• Keep your head up and core tight for spinal alignment.
• Pull the bar by squeezing your middle back muscles.
• Lower the weight slowly and with full control.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.