10 Best Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row Alternatives for Back Strength

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

The Lever Reverse T-Bar Row is the first swap to reach for when the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row is off the table: you sit with your chest braced against a pad and pull the handles to your chest with an overhand grip, so the same upper back muscles do the work from a braced, seated position instead of a standing hinge you hold yourself. If neither machine is free, the Kettlebell Two Arm Row lets you hinge over and pull the weight in each hand yourself.

Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over RowWatch the Smith Reverse Grip 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 Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

The steps for the Smith Reverse Grip 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 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.

The 10 Best Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Smith Reverse Grip 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. Lever Reverse T-Bar RowPlay demonstration

    1. Lever Reverse T-Bar Row

    98% 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 Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
  3. Smith Bent Over RowPlay demonstration

    3. Smith Bent Over Row

    96% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with an overhand 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 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.

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

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

    4. 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 Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip 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 Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
  7. Dumbbell Reverse Grip RowPlay demonstration

    7. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row

    86% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing your body.
    3. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
    4. Let your arms hang straight down, fully extended, with a slight bend in your elbows.
    5. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells 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
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Equipment: free weights, not a machine
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

  9. 9. Elevator

    82% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

Why You Might Need a Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row Alternative

A Smith machine is often the busiest rig in the gym, and plenty of home setups skip one entirely, so the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row needs a stand-in more often than most rows do. It locks your bar path on a rail and asks for an underhand grip, and the alternatives trade that rail for a seated lever machine, keep the same rail but change the grip, or hand the row to dumbbells, kettlebells or an EZ bar you load and hinge yourself. Pick the one that matches what your gym or home actually has free, not what looks nearest on paper.

How to Choose the Right Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row Substitute

If a lever machine is free, take the Lever Reverse T-Bar Row: you sit with your chest against the pad and pull an overhand grip to your chest, so the machine braces your torso and the row still lands on the same muscles. If the Smith rig is free and the underhand grip is the problem, the Smith Bent Over Row is the same row taken overhand. With an EZ bar, the EZ Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row keeps the underhand grip and hands you the bar path to control yourself. Training at home or in a stripped down gym, the Kettlebell Two Arm Row and the Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row both let you bend forward and pull a weight in each hand up to your chest with no rail to guide it.

Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row FAQ

Which alternative moves most like the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row?

The Smith Bent Over Row. It keeps the same bar set at hip height, the same hinge and the same pull to your lower chest, and only turns the grip overhand. If keeping the underhand grip matters more than keeping the rail, the EZ Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row hinges you forward and pulls an underhand grip to your lower chest with a bar you steer yourself.

Which alternatives need no Smith machine at all?

The Kettlebell Two Arm Row, the Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row and the EZ Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row all skip the Smith rig. You bend forward and pull the load yourself, with no rail to steady it, so holding the hinge and keeping the pull straight is on you.

Which alternative suits a beginner?

The Smith Bent Over Row. It keeps the exact same machine and the same hinge, and the only change is swapping the underhand grip for an overhand one, so there is nothing new to learn about the setup. It is the smallest step away from the original row.

Can I do the Smith Reverse Grip Bent Over Row at home?

Not on a Smith machine, but the pull swaps easily. The Kettlebell Two Arm Row hinges you forward and lets you pull the weight in each hand up to your chest, matching the row with no rail to guide the bar. The Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row works the same way with a pair of dumbbells, and both need only enough floor space to bend forward and pull.

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