Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredDumbbell
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypePush
- Experience LevelIntermediate
- Secondary Muscles
Lats, Shoulders, Triceps
Target Muscle Group
Chest
Dumbbell Pullover Instructions
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and position yourself on a flat bench with your shoulder blades resting on the bench.
- You should be at a 90 degree angle to the bench. Your back shoulder be straight, knees bent at 90 degrees, and feet firmly plated on the floor.
- Holding the dumbbell in both hands, straighten your arms so that dumbbell is directly overhead. This is the starting position.
- Bending at the shoulders only and keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the weight down behind your head until the dumbbell reaches the height of the bench.
- Slowly raise the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Pullover Tips:
- Do not bend at the elbows.
- Do not let the dumbbell go too far forward. The starting position is directly above your head and the dumbbell should not go any further than that.
86 Comments
Hi. I have a childhood shoulder injury and cannot lift weights above my head.
Are there any alternatives to this exercise?
I would suggest talking to your physician, Mark. Without knowing the extent of the injury, it would be unwise of me to make recommendations.
Why is there a push work out on a pull day?
Hi, Dylan. Pullovers work the chest as well as the upper back, especially at the top half of the movement, so many programs include pullovers as well. Hope this helps!
Thank you, I was confused because they page said none on secondary muscles lol
Can I do it while lying down on the floor without the bench ?
You can. Lie folded blankets on the floor to get a little more range of motion. It won't be completely as effective, but it will work.
Thank you
Is it normal for this to hit the triceps? I get a serious tricep workout from doing this
Since your triceps are actually connected to the lats, then they will work somewhat. Concentrate on driving the elbows and feeling the stretch in the lats, and that may help minimize the tris working. Also, keep the bend in the elbow the same throughout the rep if possible. If they bend more as you come up, the tris will engage.
Can you do it will lying down on a bench? Or do you have to do it specifically that way?
It can be done lying on a bench, Jacob. It isn't as intense, but it will still target the area you want.
Can I do this on the edge of my bed, as I do not have a bench
Yes, you can. You may not feel it as much because of the bed being soft, but it will still be effective.
The arms are going to be somewhat involved, but they shouldn't feel it more than the area you're trying to work. Use a minimum grip to keep the weight in place and really concentrate on starting with the targeted muscle instead of simply lifting the weight.
Thanks mate, I’ve got another question, I feel most of the exercise working on my arm, is that alright?
I found this workout in (8 WEEK MASS BUILDING HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT)
In day 2 for upper back and side delts.
Is the program wrong is this workout is wrong?
Trick question, Areej. The pullover actually works both the chest and back. The stretch and first half of the movement focuses on the lats, while the final pull over the head to the chest gets the pecs. That's why it was a favorite of the old legends of the Golden Era.
Can I lie down fully on the bench? I find it uncomfortable for my lower back to be in that position
You can, Sarah. It's best to lie across, but it isn't necessary.
Is it normal to feel a pretty heavy ab activation with this?
Yes because the abs are being stretched when you lower the weight back, and you also have to work to maintain stability. You shouldn't be crunching, and my guess is you are not doing that.
Can I do this with an EZ bar? I find it rather awkward to balance the dumbbell and I am wondering if an EZ bar would be easier to hold in this position. Thanks!
Hey Jay, you can do it with an EZ-Bar if you like, but the chest may be more involved than the lats. I found that using a triceps bar, the one with the vertical handles, is the best bet. The grip is wider, and you can maintain a tighter grip. The weight distribution will hit the lats a little better as well.
My neck hurts when I do this workout is it something with my form
Possibly. Do it by lying on the bench traditionally and see if that helps since your head is resting on the bench, and your neck isn't straining. If you still feel neck pain, go see a doctor.
Hi, do you recommend anything as an alternative to this? I have a long term shoulder injury and this exercise aggravates it. Thanks!
Two questions before I answer, Gary. I want to make sure I get it right.
Do you know what the injury is?
Are you training at home or in a gym?
Hey I can see Reverse Grip Dumbbell Row link can someone send it to me
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/reverse-grip-bent-over-dumbb...
Is there an alternative for this? I do not have a bench
Hey jj - are you using this exercise to target your back or your chest?
Back...but this exercise is part of Day 2: Pull Dumbbell Workout A (I think this is because it targets back - secondary muscle)
This exercise can be used to target the chest or the lats based on how you hold the dumbbell. You can do banded lat pulldowns, regular lat pulldowns, pull ups, or barbell/dumbbell rows.
How do I get into this position?
As a newbie, I get in this position as following. I put the dumbbell on the right end of the bench when I am facing the bench. Rare handed I put my shoulder blades on the bench as this position required but without the weight. I rotate to left side to grab the dumbbell with both hands. Then rotate back to get into this position. While rotating back, I keep the dumbbell close to chest.
I do not have a bench at home, can I just do these exercises from the ground or would you recommend an alternative workout?
Hey Darryl - are you using this exercise to target the lats or the chest?
I did this lying down. Comes close to this.
I am getting right shoulder pain. Is there a possibility where I could be doing the exercise wrong?
Hey Luke - this could be a form issue or a mobility issue.
For the dumbbell pullover instead of only putting my shoulders on the bench, can I just lay on the bench like I would for a pench press and perform the same movement? Would that not be the same workout? Just not as comfortable.
Hey Hasib - yes you can
I'm feeling weird tension in my neck
Should this be happening?
If not what could I do to prevent it
Hey Noah - you shouldn't be feeling any strange tension in your neck. Are you using this exercise to target your lats or your chest?
If the force type is Push,how come I'm doing it on Pull day???
Hey David - this movement can be used to target either the chest (aka a push day) or the lats (aka a pull day)
Why am I targeting the lats if they were targeted in the previous day?
Is there an alternative to this movement? I don't like this -- it just feels awkward when I do it.
Hey Solito - try this: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/straight-arm-lat-pull-down.html