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Back Exercise · Smith Machine

Smith One Arm Row exercise animation

Smith One Arm Row

Category
Back
Equipment
Smith Machine
Target
Upper Back

Rowing one arm at a time in the Smith machine still gets the fixed vertical bar path, but doing it unilaterally forces each side of the back to work independently rather than letting a dominant lat do more of the pulling. It's a good option for correcting a lopsided back without needing dumbbells. Brace through the free hand on the machine frame to keep the torso from rotating into the pull.

How to Do the Smith One Arm Row

  1. Set the height of the smith machine bar to waist level.
  2. Stand facing the smith machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  4. Grip the bar with one hand using an overhand grip, palm facing down.
  5. Keeping your elbow close to your body, pull the bar toward your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  6. Hold briefly at the top of the movement, then lower the bar back under control to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for your target number of reps, then switch to the other arm.

Calorie Burn & Set Tracker

Sets
3
Reps / Set
10
Active Timer
00:00
Estimated Burn
0 kcal

Muscles Worked

The Smith One Arm Row primarily targets the Upper Back, with Biceps as the primary synergist muscle group, along with the Forearms.

More Back Exercises

Alternate Lateral Pulldown Alternate Lateral Pulldown Cable · Lats Archer Pull Up Archer Pull Up Body Weight · Lats Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Pull-Up Assisted Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Chin-Up Assisted Standing Chin-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Pull-Up Assisted Standing Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats

More Upper Back Exercises

Back Lever Back Lever Body Weight · Upper Back Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band · Upper Back Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row Band · Upper Back Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back Barbell Incline Row Barbell Incline Row Barbell · Upper Back Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back

Equipment Alternatives

Don't have smith machine? These target the same upper back with different equipment.

Back Lever Back Lever Body Weight · Upper Back Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band One Arm Standing Low Row Band · Upper Back Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell Bent Over Row Barbell · Upper Back Cable Decline Seated Wide-Grip Row Cable Decline Seated Wide-Grip Row Cable · Upper Back

FAQ

What muscles does the Smith One Arm Row work?
The Smith One Arm Row primarily targets the upper back, with the biceps and forearms assisting.
What equipment do I need for the Smith One Arm Row?
The Smith One Arm Row is done with a smith machine.
What's a good alternative to the Smith One Arm Row?
If you don't have access to a smith machine, the Back Lever targets the same upper back using body weight instead.