10 Best Smith Bent Over Row Alternatives for Upper-Back Strength

The Smith Bent Over Row is done standing with a Smith machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Smith Narrow Row, the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row and the Lever Reverse T-Bar Row.

Skip a heavy row for long enough and your upper back stops keeping pace with your pressing, leaving your shoulders rounded. The Smith Bent Over Row trains that pull by hinging at the hips and drawing a fixed bar into your lower chest while you squeeze your shoulder blades together. The Smith Narrow Row comes closest to it: you sit at the machine, take the handles overhand a little narrower than shoulder width, and pull them to your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.

Smith Bent Over RowWatch the Smith Bent Over Row

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Smith Bent Over Row

The steps for the Smith Bent Over Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Upper Back, with biceps, forearms · Smith-machine · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Set up the smith machine with the bar at hip height.
  2. Stand facing the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  4. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  5. Pull the bar towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the bar back down to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Smith Bent Over Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Smith Bent Over Row on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Smith Narrow RowPlay demonstration

    1. Smith Narrow Row

    96% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with a narrow grip.

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the machine with your feet flat on the floor.
    2. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Keep your back straight and your chest up as you pull the handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the peak of the movement, then slowly release the handles back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
  2. Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over RowPlay demonstration

    2. Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

    96% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with an underhand grip.

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Set up the smith machine with the bar at hip height.
    2. Stand facing the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
    4. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
    5. Pull the bar towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the bar back down to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: bent-over row, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
  3. Lever Reverse T-Bar RowPlay demonstration

    3. Lever Reverse T-Bar Row

    94% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a lever machine to work with, and it still works the upper back.

    • Lever
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the seat height and footplate position on the leverage machine.
    2. Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the footplate.
    3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
    5. Pull the handles towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly release and extend your arms back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
  6. Smith One Arm RowPlay demonstration

    6. Smith One Arm Row

    88% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the upper back one side at a time.

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust 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. Grasp the bar with one hand using an overhand grip, with your palm facing down.
    5. Keep your elbow close to your body and pull the bar towards your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
  7. ElevatorPlay demonstration

    7. Elevator

    86% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the upper back with bodyweight alone.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
    2. Place your hands on your hips or cross them in front of your chest.
    3. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist, lowering your upper body towards the ground.
    4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly raise your upper body back up to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Bent Over Row
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Smith Bent Over Row

Why You Might Need a Smith Bent Over Row Alternative

The Smith Bent Over Row needs a smith machine, and that single piece of kit is usually the problem: the rig is occupied, your gym has none, or you train from home with a barbell, a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells instead. The Lever Reverse T-Bar Row, the Lever T Bar Row and the Lever T-Bar Reverse Grip Row swap the fixed smith rail for a lever machine instead. A Barbell Bent Over Row keeps the same overhand grip and the same hip hinge, but a free bar asks your balance to hold the position the smith rail was doing for you. At home, the Kettlebell Two Arm Row needs only weight you can carry in, no rig at all.

How to Choose the Right Smith Bent Over Row Substitute

If the smith rig is still yours to use, start with the Smith Narrow Row: you sit at the machine, take the handles a little narrower than shoulder width, and finish with the same squeeze at the top. Want a different grip instead? The Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row turns your palms up on the same rig. Training one arm at a time to fix a lopsided back, pick the Smith One Arm Row, which keeps the smith rail but lets each side work alone. Without a smith machine, the Barbell Bent Over Row keeps the same grip and hinge on a free bar, and the Barbell Pendlay Row pulls to your upper abdomen instead of your lower chest. At home, reach for the Kettlebell Two Arm Row.

Smith Bent Over Row FAQ

What muscles does the Smith Bent Over Row work?

The Smith Bent Over Row works your upper back: every rep finishes with your shoulder blades squeezed together, and your biceps and forearms do the gripping and pulling that gets the bar there. You get there by hinging forward at the hips, gripping the bar overhand slightly wider than shoulder width, and drawing it into your lower chest while your shoulder blades come together.

Which alternatives don't need a smith machine?

Seven of the ten. The Lever Reverse T-Bar Row, the Lever T Bar Row and the Lever T-Bar Reverse Grip Row put you on a chest-supported lever machine, and the Barbell Bent Over Row, the Barbell Pendlay Row and the Kettlebell Two Arm Row need no machine at all. The Elevator needs no weight either: with your hands on your hips, you bend forward at the waist and slowly raise your upper body back up.

Can I do the Smith Bent Over Row at home?

Not with the smith machine itself, but the Kettlebell Two Arm Row trains the same hinge and the same pull into your chest with a pair of kettlebells, gear a home lifter is more likely to own. Hinge at the hips, keep your back straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together the way you would on the smith rail.

Can I row one arm at a time instead?

Yes. The Smith One Arm Row keeps the same smith rail and the same hip hinge as the Smith Bent Over Row, but you row one arm through the full range while the other stays still. That lets you compare left and right and fix a side that lags behind.

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