Machine Row
The machine row is a seated row with a chest pad and handles on a fixed path. It works the mid back, with the lats and biceps assisting. The chest support removes lower back fatigue and momentum, making it a great choice for pushing your upper back hard with strict reps.
Muscles worked
The machine row trains the back, with biceps, lats helping.
Weekly sets for back
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for back, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the machine row
- 01Set the seat so the handles are level with your lower chest when your arms are straight.
- 02Adjust the chest pad so you can just reach the handles with a full stretch.
- 03Press your chest into the pad and grab the handles with your preferred grip.
- 04Row the handles back by driving your elbows behind you and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- 05Let the handles return slowly until your arms are straight and your upper back stretches forward.
Coaching cues
- Chest stays on the pad
- Pull with your elbows, not your hands
- Stretch forward at the front
Common mistakes
- Peeling your chest off the pad to finish reps adds momentum, so lower the load until your chest stays planted.
- Setting the pad too close kills the stretch at the start, so move it back until your arms reach fully.
- Leaving the seat too low makes you row toward your shoulders, so raise it until the handles meet your lower chest.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Hit the top of the range on every set and the next session adds the smallest real jump in weight, rounded to the plates, dumbbells or stack you actually have.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Machine Row alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your machine row free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.