Isolation · Intermediate
Dumbbell Pullover
- Movement pattern
- Isolation
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Dumbbell, Bench
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Sides
- Bilateral
- Main plane
- Sagittal
How to do the Dumbbell Pullover
Setup
Lie crosswise on a flat bench with only your upper back supported, holding one dumbbell with both hands straight above your chest.
Lower the dumbbell back and down in an arc behind your head, keeping a slight, fixed bend in your elbows, until you feel a stretch across your chest and lats.
Pull the dumbbell back up in the same arc to the starting position above your chest.
This is primarily a chest exercise (the sternal pec is worked at least as much as the lats) with real secondary lat involvement -- don't think of it as purely a "back" movement.
Common mistakes
Letting the elbows flare out and bend a lot during the rep, which turns this into a triceps-dominant movement instead of a chest/lat pullover.
Dropping the hips or arching hard off the bench to chase more range instead of keeping a controlled, supported position.
Muscles worked
How the knowledge graph models this movement
Shoulder extension