Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a strength exercise where you lower a dumbbell behind your head and pull it back over your chest. It mainly works your lats, the big muscles along the sides of your back. Your chest and the long head of your triceps also help out.

Lie on your back on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold one dumbbell with both hands pressed against the inside of one of the dumbbell heads, palms facing up. Extend your arms over your chest with a slight bend in your elbows. Keep that small bend in your elbows the whole time.

Lower the dumbbell back behind your head in a smooth arc. Only go as far as your shoulders comfortably allow; do not force a deep stretch. Pause briefly when you feel a stretch in your chest or lats. Then pull the dumbbell back over your chest by driving your upper arms down and forward. Think about pulling with your lats, not your arms.

Breathe in as you lower the weight. Breathe out as you pull it back over your chest. Keep your ribs down and your lower back neutral against the bench. To make it easier, use a lighter dumbbell or try the cable pullover, which gives more steady tension. To make it harder, slow down the lowering phase or add a brief pause at the bottom stretch.

Fault: Bending and straightening the elbows during the rep. Fix: Keep a slight elbow bend held constant from start to finish. Your arms should act like fixed hooks while your lats do the moving.

Fault: Lowering the dumbbell too far behind the head and feeling strain in the shoulders. Fix: Stretch overhead only as far as your shoulders allow. If your shoulders feel irritable, shorten the range and stop before tension becomes discomfort.

Fault: Pulling the weight back using the arms or triceps instead of the back. Fix: Pull with the lats, not the arms. Focus on driving your upper arms down toward your hips and letting your elbows follow that path.