Chest Supported Reverse Grip Machine T-Bar Row
In SetGrip: Machine T-Bar Row (Chest Supported, Reverse Grip)
- Primary muscleUpper Back
- EquipmentMachine
- DifficultyBeginner
- TypeIsometric
Pairing the chest pad with an underhand grip tucks your elbows against your ribs, pulling the handles into your lower abdomen and shifting emphasis toward the lats and lower traps. The pad meanwhile absorbs the hinge work, so your lower back never limits the set. Compared with the overhand chest-supported version, expect a longer stroke and more biceps involvement.
How to do the Chest Supported Reverse Grip Machine T-Bar Row
- Adjust the seat height and footplate position on the leverage machine.
- Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the footplate.
- Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your back straight and engage your core.
- Pull the handles towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly release and extend your arms back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: On holds, squeeze hard and end the set before the position degrades; on rows, pause for a beat with the handle at your torso on every rep.
Muscles worked
Primary
Upper Back · Back
On rows the rhomboids and mid traps pull the shoulder blades together and should feel the strongest contraction at the top of each rep.
Common mistakes
- Losing the set position — whether it is a hold or a supported row, set the torso once and keep it there; when the position starts to drift, the set is over.
- Holding the breath — breathe steadily and brace on each exhale instead of trapping air.
- Shrugging on rows — pull the elbows back and down, keep the shoulders away from the ears and squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top.
- Chasing time or reps over quality — a 20 second hold with everything tight beats a minute of drifting, and a paused row rep beats three thrown ones.
Where it fits in a workout
Machine and landmine rows work as a main pull movement, while holds go after the main lifts as accessory work. Pair a row with a press for a push and pull superset.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without machine
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.