Smith Machine Rear Delt Row

Also known as: smith rear delt row, rear delt row smith machine, smith machine rear delt rows

Secondary muscles
Traps, Rhomboids, Biceps
Body part
Shoulders
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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A chest pad and guided handles strip nearly all skill from this rear-delt row - no hinge, no balance, no bar path to steer - leaving only a wide, elbows-out pull and squeeze. That makes it one of the few rear-delt movements a beginner can take close to failure without form falling apart, which is where the small posterior delts respond best.

How to do the Smith Machine Rear Delt Row

  1. Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Keep your back straight and your core engaged as you pull the handles towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly release the handles back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Pause for a full count with the handle at your torso before letting it go back.

Muscles worked

Primary

Delts · Shoulders

The rear delts do a lot of work on face pulls and wide, high rows, where the elbows travel out to the sides.

Secondary

  • Traps
  • Rhomboids
  • Biceps — The biceps bend the elbow on every row but should never be the muscle that fails first.

Common mistakes

  • Yanking with the arms — the rep should start with the shoulder blades pulling back, then the elbows follow; if the biceps give out first, you are curling the weight.
  • Torso heaving up — on bent-over rows the back angle should not change between reps; if it does, drop the weight.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up — pull the elbows back and down and keep the shoulders away from the ears, especially on face pulls.
  • Skipping the stretch — let the arms straighten fully and the shoulder blades slide forward at the start of each rep, then pull from there.

Where it fits in a workout

Rows are a main movement in any pull or back session and go before pulldowns and arm work. They pair well with a chest press or a push-up as 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 smith machine

Easier and harder

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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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. 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.