Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.

Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row — Starting position Starting position
Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Machines
Primary Muscle Shoulders
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row

  1. With the bar at thigh level, load an appropriate weight.
  2. Take a wide grip on the bar and unhook the weight, removing your off hand from the bar. Your arm should be extended as you stand up straight with your head and chest up. This will be your starting position.
  3. Begin the movement by flexing the elbow, raising the upper arm with the elbow pointed out. Continue until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
  4. After a brief pause, return the weight to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before engaging the hooks to rack the weight.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Upright Barbell Row

    Upright Barbell Row

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  2. 2 One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

    One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  3. 3 One-Arm Side Laterals

    One-Arm Side Laterals

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  4. 4 Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press

    Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  5. 5 Dumbbell One-Arm Upright Row

    Dumbbell One-Arm Upright Row

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  6. 6 One-Arm Kettlebell Snatch

    One-Arm Kettlebell Snatch

    An advanced compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    advanced Kettlebell
  7. 7 Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press

    Smith Machine Overhead Shoulder Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  8. 8 Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise

    Dumbbell Lying One-Arm Rear Lateral Raise

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  9. 9 Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press

    Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  10. 10 Low Pulley Row To Neck

    Low Pulley Row To Neck

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do smith machine one-arm upright row work?

Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row primarily works the shoulders. The biceps and traps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for smith machine one-arm upright row?

Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row uses machines.

Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of smith machine one-arm upright row?

Upright Barbell Row, One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise, One-Arm Side Laterals train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my smith machine one-arm upright row reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; smith machine one-arm upright row can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Smith Machine One-Arm Upright Row with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.