Barbell Pullover
The barbell pullover is done lying on a bench: holding a bar over your chest with slightly bent elbows, you take it back over your head in an arc into a stretch, then pull it back over your chest. It works the chest and lats together, with the long head of the triceps and the abdominals working hard, and EMG studies find the chest more active than the lats.
Also called: BB Pullover, Straight Arm Pullover, Straight-Bar Pullover, EZ-Bar Pullover · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Lie on your back along a flat bench with your head supported and your feet flat on the floor.
- Have a partner hand you the bar, or take it with you as you lie back. Hold it over your chest with an overhand grip at about shoulder width, arms extended and elbows slightly bent.
- Brace your trunk and keep your ribs down so your back stays in contact with the bench.
- Keeping the same elbow bend, take the bar back over your head in an arc, under control, until your upper arms are about in line with your torso.
- Reverse smoothly and pull the bar back up along the same arc until it is over your chest, moving only at your shoulders.
- Keep your wrists straight and your ribs down for every rep.
- After the last rep, bring the bar to your chest and hand it to your partner, or hold it against your body as you sit up.
- Fixed elbow bend, move only at the shoulders
- Slow into the stretch behind your head
- Ribs down, back on the bench
- Pull the bar back over your chest in an arc
- Wrists straight, grip firm
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | C |
| Latissimus dorsi | Prime mover | C |
| Pectoralis major: abdominal (lower) | Secondary | C |
| Triceps brachii: long head | Secondary | C |
| Teres major | Secondary | D |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | C |
| Serratus anterior | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Bending and straightening the elbows
Fix: Hold the same slight elbow bend from the start of the set to the end.
Arching the back at the bottom
Fix: Keep your ribs down and back on the bench; take the bar only as far as you hold that.
Taking the bar too deep
Fix: Take the bar back until your upper arms are about in line with your torso.
Dropping into the stretch
Fix: Take the bar back slowly and reverse smoothly at the bottom.
What the research says
Muscle growthGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure; pullovers are usually done with moderate loads and controlled reps.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit; true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- What it trains — EMG studies find the barbell pullover works the chest more than the lats, while a straight-arm pulldown works the lats more. Compared with the bench press, it works the lats and the long head of the triceps more and the chest less.
- Before rows — In untrained lifters, a pullover set done just before rows did not raise lat activity in the row; it added fatigue to the rear shoulders instead.
- The stretch — There is no direct research on pullover muscle growth. Trials on other exercises link training at long muscle lengths to growth.
Swap it mid-workout
- Dumbbell Pullover
- Pullover Machine
- Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
- Barbell Meadows Row
- Barbell Row
- Barbell Seal Row
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the barbell pullover in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.