The dumbbell pullover is an “old-school” bodybuilding train that primarily trains your chest and lats.

It’s just lately regained favor as a result of it trains a number of main higher physique muscle teams in a stretched place—an element new analysis highlights as essential for muscle progress.

It additionally enhances shoulder flexibility and requires minimal tools, making it each practical and accessible.

On this article, you’ll study what the dumbbell pullover is, easy methods to carry out it with correct type, which muscle tissue it really works (particularly whether or not it targets the chest or lats extra), its advantages, widespread errors, the most effective dumbbell pullover options and variations, and extra. 

What Is the Dumbbell Pullover Train?

The dumbbell pullover is a compound train that primarily trains the pecs and lats

To carry out the dumbbell pullover, lie in your again on a bench and maintain a dumbbell by one finish immediately over your chest utilizing each arms. Whereas conserving your arms largely straight, decrease the dumbbell in an arc towards the ground till your higher arms are subsequent to your ears, earlier than returning the dumbbell again to the beginning place.

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The best way to Do the Dumbbell Pullover Train

1. Arrange

Lie supine on a flat bench together with your toes on the ground and your head as near the top of the bench as doable. Utilizing each arms, maintain a dumbbell by one finish over your chest together with your palms going through the ceiling and your arms nearly straight.

Tuck your shoulder blades down and squeeze them collectively.

2. Descend

Whereas sustaining a slight bend in your elbows, decrease the dumbbell in an arc over your head till your biceps are subsequent to your ears.

3. Pullover

Reverse the motion and return to the beginning place.

Are Dumbbell Pullovers a Chest or Lat Train?

The pecs and lats work collectively to prolong the shoulder joint (convey your arms from overhead to your sides by transferring in an arc in entrance of you).

As shoulder extension is the principle motion concerned within the pullover, it trains each the pecs and lats to a excessive diploma. 

That mentioned, most analysis exhibits the pullover train is more practical at coaching the pecs than the lats, a undeniable fact that is smart given what we learn about how these muscle tissue contribute to shoulder extension. 

The pecs contribute most to shoulder extension as you progress your arm from overhead to out in entrance of you, whereas the lats do nearly all of the work transferring your arms from out in entrance of you to your sides and past. 

Right here’s a diagram as an instance this:

Pec and Lat Involvement in the Pullover

Because of this analysis exhibits that workout routines just like the cable pullover, which concentrate on the ultimate a part of shoulder extension, are higher for coaching the lats. In distinction, workout routines just like the dumbbell pullover, which emphasize the beginning of this motion, are more practical for the pecs.

Many weightlifters wonder if they will alter dumbbell pullover type to maximise pec or lat involvement.

Though there’s no particular analysis on this, individuals sometimes report feeling their pecs extra after they tuck their higher arms in order that their elbows level to the ceiling once you prolong your arms overhead. Likewise, individuals typically say they really feel their lats working extra after they permit their elbows to flare in order that they level out to sides when the dumbbell is overhead. 

The extent to which these “emotions” translate into long-term muscle achieve is unclear. Nevertheless, many specialists imagine a powerful “mind-muscle connection” is useful for progress. Subsequently, if it helps you “join” with the muscle tissue you’d desire to develop, it’s a low-risk, doubtlessly high-reward technique price attempting.

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Dumbbell Pullover: Advantages

1. It develops all-around upper-body energy and muscle.

The pullover trains a number of main muscle teams in your higher physique, together with your chest, lats, triceps, and abs, making it perfect for gaining upper-body energy and muscle mass

What’s extra, it trains these muscle tissue by way of a full vary of movement and in a stretched place, which a number of research present are important for maximizing muscle progress.

2. It improves shoulder mobility.

The pullover enhances shoulder mobility by stretching and strengthening the muscle tissue across the shoulder joint, enhancing their vary of movement and doubtlessly serving to to forestall accidents.

3. It‘s extremely adaptable.

The dumbbell pullover doesn’t require specialised tools like a rack or machine—all you want is a sturdy floor to lie on.

You may also carry out the pullover with nearly any tools you have got accessible, together with a dumbbell, barbell, or kettlebell.

In different phrases, the pullover is an adaptable train for coaching your higher physique, wherever and nevertheless you select to train.

Dumbbell Pullover: Muscle mass Labored

The dumbbell pullover works the . . .

  • Pecs
  • Lats
  • Triceps (particularly the triceps lengthy head)
  • Serratus anterior
  • Abs 

Right here’s how the main muscle teams labored by the dumbbell pullover look in your physique:


Dumbbell Pullover Muscles Worked


Frequent Dumbbell Pullover Errors

1. Bending and straightening your elbows. 

Excessively bending your elbows as you decrease the load and straightening them as you raise it shifts the emphasis out of your pecs and lats to your triceps. To counteract this, repair your elbow angle firstly of your set and keep it constantly all through.

2. Utilizing an excessive amount of weight. 

Utilizing an excessive amount of weight can result in poor type, cut back vary of movement, and enhance danger of harm. To maximise the pullover’s advantages, it’s important to decide on a weight that means that you can carry out the train with management and thru the total vary of movement.

3. Lifting your butt off the bench.

Lifting your butt off the bench whereas performing the pullover is an indication of overcompensation, typically since you’re utilizing an excessive amount of weight or lack the required flexibility or core stability.

This reduces the effectiveness of the train and will enhance your danger of harm. To forestall it, have interaction your core all through the motion and use a weight that means that you can keep correct type together with your again flat in opposition to the bench.

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The Finest Dumbbell Pullover Alternate options and Variations

1. Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullover

You carry out the cross-bench dumbbell pullover together with your physique perpendicular to the bench and your higher again resting on the bench. For some, this variation permits for a deeper stretch within the chest and lats, which can assist muscle progress. Nevertheless, it’s additionally considerably extra unstable than the common model and requires extra decrease again mobility, making it much less appropriate for rookies and people with again points. 

2. Barbell Pullover

The barbell pullover is sort of an identical to the dumbbell model. The one distinction is you employ a barbell as a substitute of a dumbbell. As such, you may consider the barbell and dumbbell pullover as interchangeable—do whichever you have got tools for.

3. Single-Arm Dumbbell Pullover

The one-arm dumbbell pullover means that you can practice either side of your physique independently, which is beneficial for locating and fixing muscle imbalances

4. Stability-Ball Dumbbell Pullover

Doing the pullover whereas mendacity on a stability ball as a substitute of a bench provides a component of instability, forcing your core to work tougher to take care of steadiness. The downside is you need to use considerably much less weight, which negates a number of the muscle- and strength-building advantages.

5. Machine Pullover

Utilizing a pullover machine offers constant resistance all through every rep, which trains your muscle tissue barely in a different way from the free-weight model. 

+ Scientific References