The Smith machine back workout you need to try

The Smith machine is a piece of equipment that can be found in most commercial gyms. It is used to target various muscle groups, including the back. 

Strengthening your back muscles is crucial for maintaining good posture, preventing injuries, and improving your fitness. 

The Smith machine

The Smith machine is a strength training equipment with a barbell fixed to a vertical track. The track allows the barbell to move up and down in a controlled motion, which can help you maintain proper form and reduce the risk of injury during exercises. 

The Smith machine is often used in strength training to target specific muscle groups like the legs and back. 

Benefits of using the Smith machine for back workouts

Controlled movements: The Smith machine provides a fixed path of motion, which can help you maintain proper form and reduce the risk of injury during back exercises.

Isolation of targeted muscles: By stabilizing the weight for you, the Smith machine allows you to isolate and target specific back muscles more effectively, leading to better overall development.

Versatility: The Smith machine can be used to perform a variety of back exercises, including rows, pull-ups, and deadlifts, making it a versatile tool for building a strong and healthy back.

No spotter: The Smith machine allows you to lift without a spotter, reducing the risk for injury.

The importance of back workouts

Back muscles account for almost 20% of total muscle mass in the average person. The back muscles include the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae and rhomboids.

These are important for maintaining good posture, preventing injury and improving overall physical function.

A strong back is important for maintaining good posture, reducing the risk of injury, improving overall functional fitness, and preventing imbalances in the body that can lead to pain and injury. Strong back muscles also improve athletic performance, which requires upper body strength and power.

Smith Machine Back Exercises

Whether you’re a seasoned gym-goer or a beginner, Smith machine back exercises will help you build a strong and healthy back. 

Smith machine bent-over rows

The Smith machine row is a great alternative to the barbell row. You can increase your range of motion and control the weight more using the Smith machine

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and slightly behind the bar.
• Keeping the knees slightly bent, hinge forward until your upper body is somewhat parallel to the floor.
• Overhand grip the bar just outside your knees.
• Pull the bar up toward the abdomen until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
• Lower at a controlled pace.

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine back rows can help target and strengthen your upper back muscles, provide a reduced risk of injury, increase control, offer progressive overload for strength gains, and save time by eliminating the need for free weight setup and stabilization.

Smith machine pull-ups

• Squat down underneath the Smith machine and raise your arms above your head—wherever your arms extend to is where you should set the bar.
• Grab the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip and fully extend your elbows so that you feel a stretch in your back muscles.
• Arch your upper back by sticking your chest out.
• Place your legs out in front, but make sure that your back is bearing most of the resistance.
• Pull your upper chest towards the bar by driving your elbows down to the ground.
• Come as high as you can and then lower your torso under control, once again allowing the resistance to stretch your lats.

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine pull-ups provide assistance for those who can’t do full pull-ups on their own. They help build upper body strength and you can use various grips to target different muscles.

Smith machine reverse grip rows

Similar to the bent-over row except for the grip. The reverse grip will emphasize the lats while engaging more of the biceps.

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and slightly behind the bar.
• Keeping the knees slightly bent, hinge forward until your upper body is somewhat parallel to the floor.
• Underhand grip the bar just outside the knees.
• Pull the bar up toward the abdomen until the elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
• Lower at a controlled pace.

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine reverse grip rows target the muscles of the upper back and biceps, help to improve posture, can reduce strain on the wrists compared to traditional barbell rows, offer a more controlled range of motion, and allow for progressive overload for strength gains.

Smith machine deadlifts

• Set the Smith machine bar to the lowest setting and stand just behind the bar.
• Lower into the starting position by dropping your hips and lowering yourself toward the floor.
• Grab the barbell with an overhand or mixed grip just outside shoulder width. 
• Stand upright behind the bar with a shoulder-width stance so your shins touch it.
• Make sure you maintain a neutral spine. Your torso, neck, and head will remain in a straight line throughout the movement.
• While pushing through your heels, extend at your knees to stand up straight.
• As the bar rises above your knees, thrust your hips forward.
• Pause at the top and contract your back by bringing your shoulder blades together.
• Return to the starting position by lowering the bar to the starting position by hinging at your hips and bending your knees. 

Variations: single leg deadlift, sumo deadlift, stiff leg deadlift

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine deadlifts can help to improve overall back and leg strength, particularly in the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

Smith machine inverted row

A great exercise to work on your pull-ups.

• Adjust bar to hip height so you can fully extend your arms under it, without your back touching the floor.
• While laying face up on the floor with shoulders under the bar, reach up to overhand grip at shoulder width.
• Spread feet to slightly to help with balance.
• Keeping the body straight, pull up until the chest touches the bar.
• Slowly lower your body extending your arms while maintaining good posture.
• Repeat.

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine inverted rows can help strengthen the upper back, shoulders, and biceps muscles. They also can improve your grip strength and posture, and offer a safer alternative to traditional barbell rows.

Smith machine one arm row

Single-arm rows are the single-arm dumbbell rows of the Smith machine. 

• Stand to the side of the bar and adjust bar to just beneath the knee.
• Align the shoulder of the arm to be worked at the center of the bar.
• Stagger legs with the foot farthest from the bar in front as a stabilizer.
• Keeping the back straight, hinge at the waist, bend the knees and overhand grip the bar.
• Place your free hand on the knee furthest away from the bar to help stabilize yourself and help you maintain a neutral spine.
• Pull the Smith machine bar up to chest height.
• Slowly lower down.

Benefits of the exercise

Smith machine one-arm rows help isolate and target the upper back muscles, particularly the lats. They also can improve grip strength and core stability.

A Smith Machine Back Workout

An intense back workout that will build strength and muscle mass in your back.