Many bodybuilders agree that the most critical groups of muscles are those in the back.
Properly developed spinal erectors, lats and traps, along with muscular rear deltoids will make your physique stand out wherever you go.
Although some refer to the Smith Machine as “a thousand-dollar coat rack,” it is ideal in many ways for intermediate and advanced lifters in their training.
One significant benefit is that you can train without a spotter because the barbell is kept on a guided path, allowing heavy lifts without the usual risks of injuries. However, beginners should not use the machine without the presence of an experienced spotter.
The back muscles reach from just below your skull, extending across your shoulders, all the way down your back to the area just above your hips in your lower back. Your back muscles are attached to your neck, shoulder blades and vertebrae.
They include the following muscle groups:
Before starting your killer back workout, take time to warm up. There’s no getting away from it, whether you like it or not, performing warm-up stretches before working out is crucial.
Dynamic stretches are likely your best option for injury prevention by loosening your muscles and opening up your joints. Furthermore, if you want to avoid crashing after an explosive workout – Amped-AF is your answer. It is the ultimate focus pre-workout that will give you maximum energy and enhanced focus.
Benefits: Builds your biceps and develops your lower lats simultaneously.
Precautions: The reverse-grip row is one of the best Smith machine exercises for back strength. However, you should still ensure you initiate the rep with your back muscles to prevent your arms from taking over.
Follow these steps when you do the Reverse-Grip Row exercise:
The reverse grip Smith Machine row is a unique exercise.
It is one of the most effective of all the row variations for building muscle, and adding mass to your back — and sure to send you out for a bigger-sized t-shirt. As a bonus, the arms, including the biceps and triceps could benefit as a secondary muscle group.
Benefits: Improves bodyweight strength and adds significant mass to the lats and traps.
Pro Tip: Once this rowing exercise becomes too easy, wearing a weighted vest can increase the resistance for an even more muscular back.
If you’ve ever wondered why calisthenics guys are so muscled, weighted-back exercises are one of the reasons.
Follow these steps when you do the Inverted Row exercise:
The Inverted Row Smith Machine exercise does for your traps what pull-ups do for your lats—likely the best exercise existing for back thickness.
Benefits: The Smith Machine Bent-Over Row thickens up your traps incredibly without putting strain on your spinal erectors.
Precaution: If you row barehanded, you could overstrain your traps and lats. Some prefer to wear grip gloves or even straps to support their forearms and prevent harming back development.
Follow these steps when you do the Bent-Over Row exercise:
For those wanting to isolate their back for serious growth, the bent-over smith machine row is a fantastic option.
This is because the machine helps to stabilize the bar path so instead of wasting valuable energy on stabilizing the barbell, the Smith Machine can handle the balancing part of the rep. That gives you the opportunity to grow your back quicker.
Benefits: Reduces muscle imbalances and improves back symmetry. It's regarded as one of the greatest Smith Machine lat exercises of all time.
Precaution: This is a unilateral row that lets you lift heavier weights than with any other back exercise. Therefore, you might want to use grip gloves or at least a good pair of lifting straps to strengthen your grip and avoid limiting back development.
Follow these steps when you do the Single-Arm Row exercise:
The Single-Arm Smith Machine row has earned the name “Smith machine dumbbell row.” Being a unilateral back exercise, it evens out muscle imbalances.
Moreover, if you don’t have access to extremely heavy dumbbells at your “gym,” the Smith Machine could be your answer, and as a bonus, the arms, including biceps and triceps will benefit as a secondary muscle group.
Benefits: Creates a more impressive physical appearance by adding height to your upper traps.
Precaution: Your grip can never keep up with your powerful trap muscles. Therefore, wearing grip gloves or even straps during shrug exercises might be a good idea.
Follow these steps when you do Shrug exercises on the Smith Machine:
It is quite easy to focus purely on the endless range of row exercises when you're performing back exercises on Smith Machine systems.
However, while rows are perfect for thickening your back, they can never add height to your upper traps as the Smith Machine shrugs can.
Benefits: Reduces the risks of shoulder injuries by strengthening your rotator cuffs and rear delts.
Follow these steps when you do the Face Pull exercise:
You can also perform the Smith Machine Face Pull exercise in a squat rack.
This exercise works your rear delts heavily, making it excellent for building proportional shoulders.
Benefits: The most reliable back exercise to add width to your lats.
Pro Tip: If you want to strengthen your pull-up skills you might want to avoid using grip gloves or straps. They are encouraged for bodybuilding, but not for building bodyweight strength.
Wearing gloves will prevent you from getting your grip accustomed to heavy lifting. As always, using chalk remains a good idea to prevent your hands from slipping.
Follow these steps when you perform pull-ups:
This will show you how to make use of the barbell's adjustability to perform assisted pull-ups.
If you have never regarded pull-ups as part of your back exercise routine using a Smith Machine system, you might want to consider it.
If you realize how significantly it could improve your v-taper, you will likely want to make sure it becomes a staple in your back workout.
You can, of course, simply use the Smith machine barbell as a standard pull-up bar.
Benefits: Supercharges full-body strength.
Pro Tip: You can reduce the bar’s travel distance by doing the Deadlift barefoot (if it is allowed in your gym) or in flat shoes like Converse.
Follow these steps when you do the deadlift:
Most people believe the deadlift can only be done with a free-weight barbell. That makes the Smith Machine Deadlift controversial.
Even if they are right, it takes nothing away from the fact that this variation of the deadlift is said to be one of the best back thickeners of all time.
You can also strengthen your quads and hamstrings as a secondary muscle group.
Benefits: Makes your lower back look thicker by strengthening the spinal erectors.
Pro Tip: When doing back extensions on the Smith Machine, think of your hams and glutes as stabilizers instead of prime movers. It is quite normal to feel a fair amount of glute and ham involvement in this exercise, but if you actively round your lower back, your spinal erectors will take most of the tension.
Follow these steps when you do the Back Extension exercise:
If you do like many pump-obsessed bodybuilders who skip lower back training, you might also fail to get the “Christmas tree look” for your spinal erectors.
The Smith Machine back extension exercise is one of the most effective back exercises because its entire focus is on the spinal erectors.
Benefits: Builds bigger traps and a stronger deadlift lockout.
Pro Tip: When doing Rack Pull exercises on the Smith Machine, you might want to use straps because no other exercise lets you lift as heavy as rack pulls do. If you don’t train your grip directly, your forearms might sacrifice your trap development by giving out prematurely.
Follow these steps when you do the Rack Pull exercise:
The rack pull is especially effective for growing your upper traps, and the go-to exercise whether you perform your back workouts with free weights or on a Smith Machine.
If your gym doesn't have a power rack, why not give the Smith Machine rack pull a try?
This mass-building back exercise overloads the traps with more resistance than any other movement.
Many bodybuilders agree that the most critical groups of muscles are those in the back.
Properly developed spinal erectors, lats and traps, along with muscular rear delts will make your physique stand out wherever you go.
And one of the best routes to perfection is the Smith Machine back workout routine. If you don’t have access to a Smith Machine, most of these exercises can be modified using dumbbells to fit your lifestyle and fitness level.
On a final note – remember to replenish muscle glycogen and electrolytes depleted from intense bursts of energy during your killer workout.
HyperAde is a fast-absorbing non-stimulant electrolyte glycogen supplement that will quickly replenish carbs, electrolytes, and amino acids while improving endurance.
