Chest-Supported Row Machine

The chest-supported row machine has you lean your chest against a pad while pulling handles back toward you, which fixes your torso in place and removes any ability to use body momentum or lower-back involvement, unlike a bent-over row. Set the pad height so it sits at your chest, grip the handles, and pull them back toward you while squeezing your shoulder blades together, then extend your arms forward under control. Because the chest support eliminates any cheating, this machine isolates the mid-back muscles more strictly than most free-weight row variations.

1. Set the pad height so it rests against your chest, and grip the handles
2. Pull the handles back toward you, squeezing your shoulder blades together
3. Extend your arms forward under control to a full stretch before the next rep

• Setting the pad too low or high, forcing an awkward pulling angle
• Yanking the handles with a jerky motion instead of a smooth, controlled pull

• Neutral-grip handles for a more shoulder-friendly pulling angle
• Single-arm version for unilateral work and fixing side-to-side imbalances