Barbell Pullover
Also known as: Lying Barbell Pullover, Straight-Arm Barbell Pullover, Barbell Arm Pullover, BB Pullover
Body region
Muscles
Main
Helps
Holds
Equipment
Technique
- Lie on a flat bench with your head near the end and feet flat on the floor.
- Hold a light barbell over your chest with a shoulder-width overhand grip and a slight bend in the elbows.
- Keeping the elbow angle fixed, lower the bar in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch in the lats and chest.
- Pull the bar back along the same arc until it is over your chest again.
Cues
- Move only at the shoulders; the elbows stay softly bent.
- Keep your ribs down and lower back in contact with the bench.
- Breathe in on the way down, out on the way up.
Common mistakes
- Going heavier than you can control at the bottom of the stretch.
- Bending and straightening the elbows, which turns it into a triceps extension.
- Arching the lower back to get the bar further behind the head.