Exercise · form guide
Machine Row (Plate-Loaded)
- Primary muscle
- Mid Back
- Also works
- Lats, Rear Delts, Biceps
- Equipment
- Hammer Strength or similar Plate-Loaded Row
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Tempo
1-1-3-1
Independent handles let you chase a unilateral imbalance. Two-arm version when you just want raw load.
Sets & reps
General programming defaults by goal — not specific to this lift. Pick the row that matches yours.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4–6 | 3–5 | 8–9 | 3–5 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 8–12 | 7–9 | 90–120 s |
| Endurance | 2–4 | 15–25 | 6–8 | 45–60 s |
Form
Cues
- Chest on the pad, scapulae fully protracted at the start
- Drive elbows back and DOWN, not just back
- Squeeze 1s, control the eccentric
Common mistakes
- Starting in a retracted position — wastes the stretch
- Cutting the eccentric short
Injury notes
Lower-back-friendly. Excellent for high-volume back days.
Progression
Add 2.5–5kg per side when 10 reps land clean.
Indian gym reality
Standard equipment, available in most Indian gyms. Focus on form quality over load.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- Zero-equipment variant works — see the home version below.
Home & hostel version
Pull-ups from a doorway bar (₹500 on Amazon) are the single best home back exercise. Add a resistance band assist if you can't hit 5 clean reps.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Frequently asked
What muscles does Machine Row (Plate-Loaded) work?
Primarily Mid Back · Lats · Rear Delts · Biceps. Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Machine Row (Plate-Loaded) per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
What if I'm training at home in India?
See the home & hostel version above. Bodyweight variants of every major pattern exist and progress for months if you're intentional about it.
How often should I do Machine Row (Plate-Loaded)?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.
Get Machine Row (Plate-Loaded) programmed for you
bodyBot builds your split with the right sets, reps and progression for your goal.