The Dumbbell Pullover

Tips for performing the dumbbell pullover correctly

The dumbbell pullover is one of the exercises that is often used by more advanced lifters who are looking to target their lat muscles, building a wider back appearance. This movement is definitely not only for advanced exercisers though, so even someone who is just getting started and looking to make a good body transformation can certainly include it in their workout routine.

Let’s take a closer look at what the dumbbell pullover is all about so that you can decide whether this movement is right for you.

Muscles Worked When Performing The dumbbell Pullover

When doing the dumbbell pullover, you’re going to primarily be targeting the muscles in the upper back region that line the side of the body. These are referred to as the ‘lat’ muscles and will give you that added thickness that you may be looking for.

In addition to this, you’ll also hit the rhomboids to a very small extent and use the biceps and triceps as dynamic stabilizers.

When done properly, the dumbbell pullover is also going to hit the ab muscles since they’ll have to contract hard in order to keep yourself stabilized on the bench and the lower back down.

Those who have weak abdominal muscles may find that they start to develop a large gap beneath their lower back, which then means that they’re putting themselves at risk for lower back pain.

Since you will have a high amount of weight overhead while performing this exercise, you must keep the spinal column in good alignment as best as possible at all times.

How To Perform The dumbbell Pullover Correctly

So how should you go about perform the dumbbell pullover?

This one is very similar to the barbell pull-over with the only difference being that the hands will be placed much closer together, therefore it’ll target the mid-back to a larger extent.

To perform this movement, you’ll want to get into position on a flat bench with your back down, holding a dumbbell directly overhead.

Note that you should think of squeezing the abs at this point as that will ensure that you are stabilizing yourself well as the weight begins to move. Once you’re comfortable, slowly begin to lower the weight downwards behind the head, going as far as you can comfortably go. Never go beyond the shoulder joint with the weight as that will place an extremely large amount of stress on the shoulder girdle.

If you can only go partway down while maintaining good form, this may be an indication that you are lifting too much weight and should consider lightening your load.

Once you’re in that lowered position, pause and then reverse directions to complete the rep.

So there you have the primary points to keep in mind regarding the dumbbell pullover. It really is a very effective movement for developing the lats and can serve as a great substitution for the lat pull-down when you’re looking for a change of pace with your workout program. Start with a lighter weight until you’re able to sustain good form and then progress from there.