The underhand Smith machine bent over row is a fixed-path compound row performed hinged over the bar with palms up, pulling to the lower abdomen to train the lats and lower traps. The supinated grip tucks the elbows to the ribs and drops the contact point low on the torso, so the lats and lower traps do more and the rear delts less. The rails add what a free bar cannot: one vertical path, and hooks that hold the weight between sets instead of your hinge. Lifters use it as the main horizontal pull of a back day.
What Muscles Does the Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row Work?
- Primary: Latissimus dorsi, lower trapezius, rhomboids
- Secondary: Biceps brachii, brachialis, posterior deltoid
- Tertiary: Erector spinae, hamstrings, glutes, forearm flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row?
Set the bar on the hooks just below knee height. Stand with your shins close under the bar, feet hip width apart, and take an underhand grip at shoulder width with the palms facing forward. Bend the knees slightly, push the hips back and hinge until the torso sits about 45 degrees above horizontal, chest up and spine straight. Unhook the bar, let it hang at arm's length, and brace the trunk.
How Do You Perform the Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row?
- Hold the hinge with the hips back, knees soft and arms hanging straight under the shoulders.
- Pull the bar into your lower abdomen, keeping the elbows brushing past your ribs.
- Finish when the bar meets the belly or the elbows pass behind the torso, whichever comes first.
- Squeeze the shoulder blades down and together for a count with the torso angle unchanged.
- Lower the bar along the rails on a two-count until the arms straighten and the blades slide forward.
- Reset the hinge and the brace, then start the next rep without letting the hips rise.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows past the ribs, not out: with the palms up the elbow path is a narrow line beside the torso, and that line puts the lats in charge.
- Aim for the belt, not the chest: pulling low keeps the shoulder in a strong position and matches the supinated grip.
- Keep the wrists stacked over the forearms instead of letting the bar roll into the fingers.
- Let the shoulder blades reach forward fully at the bottom so each rep begins from a stretched lat.
- Hold the hips back all set so the hamstrings, not the lower back, own the hinge.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Loading enough weight that the torso rises on each pull: the hips finish the rep and the row becomes a partial deadlift, so cut the load until the angle holds.
- Curling the bar up with the arms: the palms-up grip invites it, and the biceps take work the lats should do, so lead with the elbows.
- Letting the wrists bend back under the bar: the supinated grip loads the biceps tendon at the elbow in that position, so keep the forearms and wrists in one line.
- Standing too far back from the rails: the bar reaches the waist instead of the abdomen and the range shortens, so set the shins near the bar.
- Dropping the bar down the rails: the eccentric vanishes and the lats work half the rep, so lower on a two-count.
What Are the Best Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row Variations?
- OverhandSmith machine bent over row: a pronated grip that shifts work to the mid back.
- Supinated bent over barbell row: a free bar on the same grip, which adds the arc toward the hips.
- Smith machine Pendlay row: each rep starts from the hooks at shin height, with no eccentric to ride.
- One-arm underhand Smith machine row: one hand on the bar, the other braced on the frame, each side pulling alone.
- Chest supported row: an incline bench holds the torso when the lower back fails first.
How Do You Progress the Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row?
- Add 5 to 10 pounds once every set hits the top of the rep range with the torso angle fixed.
- Build from 8 reps a set to 12 before each weight jump.
- Add a fourth set when three stop leaving the lats fatigued.
- Pause two seconds at the belly, or lower on a three-count, when the load stalls.
How Should You Program the Underhand Smith Machine Bent Over Row?
Row early in a back or upper-body session, after a vertical pull or as the first heavy horizontal pull of the day. Once or twice a week suits it, for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 90 to 120 seconds of rest. Pair it with a lat pulldown or a face pull so the upper back and rear delts get the angle this row leaves out.
