Smith Machine Upright Row

Smith Machine Upright Row Basics

Primary muscles worked: Upper Trapezius, Lateral Deltoid

Synergist Muscles: Anterior Deltoid, Biceps, Middle and Lower Trapezius

Mechanics: Compound

Equipment: Smith Machine

How To Perform The Smith Machine Upright Row

• Grab the smith machine bar with an overhand grip so that your hands are spaced shoulder-width apart.
• Relax your arms so that they hand toward the floor.
• Move your body as close to the bar as possible. Your hips or upper thigh should be about 1/2 inch to 1 inch away from the bar.
• Lift the bar up toward your chin by elevating your shoulders and bending at your elbows.
• Continue lifting until the bar reaches neck level so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
• Hold this position for a brief moment.
• Slowly lower the bar downward by allowing your arms to extend and relaxing you shoulders.
• Once your arms reach full extension, you can perform another upright row.

Smith Machine Upright Row Tips

• If you have shoulder issues and the smith machine upright row causes pain in your shoulder, try widening your grip to see if this alleviates your shoulder pain. If this does not help, choose a different exercise to target your traps and shoulders.
• Make sure to breathe out as you lift the weight toward your neck and breathe in as you lower the bar.
• Although the upright row effectively trains the upper trapezius and lateral deltoid muscles, there are better, safer exercises to use to target these same muscles.

Smith Machine Upright Row and Sports Application

From a sports perspective, the smith machine row is not readily apparent in any sports related movement. For bodybuilders, the smith machine upright row can help improve trapezius and shoulder mass. Unfortunately, upright rows, in general, decrease the subacromial space in your shoulder joint and should not be performed by people with limited range of motion in their shoulder or who have acute or chronic shoulder impairments.