Smith Machine Upright Row

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

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A fixed vertical path removes the balance work and lets you concentrate on driving the elbows high, which makes this a good place for strict tempo sets. The tradeoff is that your hands cannot drift as the bar rises, so find a grip width that stays comfortable at the top before adding plates.

How to do the Smith Machine Upright Row

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the smith machine.
  2. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
  4. Pull the barbell up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Lead with the elbows and keep the bar close to the body as it rises.

Muscles worked

Primary

Delts · Shoulders

The side delts lift the elbows out and up and should be the muscle you feel burning by the last rep.

Secondary

  • Traps — The upper traps assist as the bar reaches chest height and take over if you shrug at the top.
  • Biceps — The biceps bend the elbow and will dominate if the grip is narrow and the elbows drop.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling too high — the elbows should stop around shoulder height; going higher pinches the shoulder joint.
  • Grip too narrow — a narrow grip forces the wrists to bend and turns the shoulders in; use at least shoulder width so the elbows lead out to the sides.
  • Heaving with the hips — a small dip and drive at the start means the weight is too heavy; lift from a dead stop with the torso still.
  • Elbows dropping below the hands — keep the elbows higher than the wrists throughout so the delts, not the biceps, do the work.

Where it fits in a workout

Upright rows go after the presses in a shoulder session as accessory work. Superset them with a lateral raise or a rear delt fly using the same weights.

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.