Dumbbell Pullover
Lats, chest and triceps1 dumbbell and a bench
The dumbbell pullover is an arc with one dumbbell from over your chest to behind your head and back. It stretches and trains the lats, with help from your chest and triceps.
How to do the Dumbbell Pullover
- Lie with your upper back across a bench, feet flat and hips low, holding one dumbbell upright with both hands over your chest.
- Keep a soft, fixed bend in your elbows and lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch in your lats.
- Keep your ribs down so your lower back does not arch as the dumbbell goes back.
- Pull the dumbbell over your chest in the same arc, squeezing your lats.
Common mistakes
- Your lower back arches as you lower. Brace your core, keep your ribs down and shorten the range until you can do it without arching.
- Your elbows bend and straighten like a triceps extension. Lock a small bend in your elbows and move only at the shoulders.
- You go too deep and lose control. Stop where you feel a stretch in your lats and can still pull back smoothly.
With a bench or without
With a bench: lie across it with only your upper back supported for a longer stretch, or lie lengthwise on it for an easier setup.
Without a bench: lie on the floor with your knees bent. The floor stops your arms sooner, so the range is shorter, but your lats still work.
Easier and harder versions
Easier: Use a lighter dumbbell, lie lengthwise on the bench, or do it on the floor.
Harder: Lower for three seconds or pause at the stretch. Stagger runs 12 reps with one 40 lb dumbbell at a 3-0-1 tempo.