The pullover is an exercise that is performed with either a

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as li ...

or a

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length ...

. Pullovers can be made to affect either the chest or the back depending on how wide the grip is (barbell) and the position of the shoulders. It targets Pectoralis major,

Pectoralis minor Pectoralis minor muscle () is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the pectoralis major in the human body. It arises from ribs III-V; it inserts onto the coracoid process of the scapula. It is innervated by ...

, Triceps brachii, Lattismus dorsii and

Teres major muscle The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle. The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meanin ...

among other muscles of the chest. A research done on the pullover movement using a barbell suggested more effect on the pectoralis major muscle as compared to the

latissimus dorsi The latissimus dorsi () is a large, flat muscle on the back that stretches to the sides, behind the arm, and is partly covered by the trapezius on the back near the midline. The word latissimus dorsi (plural: ''latissimi dorsi'') comes from L ...

Movement

A typical pullover involves resting the upper back on a flat bench. The hips are kept slightly flexed. Keeping the hips off the bench is said to help in balancing the weight and stability during the movement. The weight is held above the chest with elbows slightly bent.

Variation

This exercise can be done using either a straight barbell, EZ barbell, dumbbell or cable attachment. The elbows could also be bent at about 90° to achieve a different stretch. In this variation the weight is lowered till the upper arm is in line with the torso.

References

Weight training exercises {{sport-stub