Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredDumbbell
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypePull
- Experience LevelIntermediate
- Secondary Muscles
Lats
Target Muscle Group
Chest
Dumbbell Pullover Overview
A Dumbbell Pullover is an exercise that primarily targets the chest (pectorals) and lats (latissimus dorsi), while also engaging the triceps and core.
This movement helps to improve upper body strength, flexibility, and muscle definition in both the chest and back.
It can be performed as a chest or back-focused exercise depending on the angle and emphasis.
Dumbbell Pullover Instructions
- Lie on a bench, with your upper back and shoulders supported, and feet flat on the floor.
- Hold one dumbbell with both hands, palms pressed together, and arms extended straight above your chest. This is the starting position.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Feel a stretch in your chest and lats as the dumbbell lowers.
- Bring the dumbbell back up to the starting position. This is one rep.
- Perform the desired reps, focusing on control and muscle engagement.
Dumbbell Pullover Tips
- Keep your core tight. Engage your core throughout the movement to protect your lower back.
- Control the motion. Lower the dumbbell slowly to feel a stretch, and avoid jerking the weight.
- Focus on your chest and lats. As you lift the dumbbell, focus on squeezing your chest and activating your lats.
- Don’t lock your elbows; keep a small bend to reduce joint strain.
125 Comments
Hi just wondering as this is a chest exercise is this supposed to be done on chest and triceps day rather than back and biceps? Many thanks
Hi Trevor, valid question because as great as the pullover is, it is also confusing many people as to what it does. It is actually a full blown upper body exercise. The lats and biceps are working during the first half of the movement, while the chest is stretched, then stimulated as you pull the weight up. The shoulders and triceps are supporting the load as well. So, put it wherever you like!
These are great video's and very good explanations of the exercises. Thanks for your time and knowledge, as I'm a 66 year old rookie..
Love to read this: Thank you so much for being here on M&S, Jimmy. Glad these are helping you, and we hope you will keep checking back in to see more and share your progress!
Hello, thank you for this workout. However, some are considering this workout as an old-school workout and not very effective. Do you agree with this opinion? And alternative in the gym for the same muscle group?
Thank you
Hi Mohammad, it is an old-school exercise, but I disagree that it is not effective. It is still a very solid option for both the upper back and even the chest. If your gym has a pullover machine, that would be a good substitute. If you want to focus on the lats, then a straight arm cable lat pulldown would work as well.
Thanks a lot, Roger. Much appreciated.
Can this work on a flat bench aswell?
Hi Darren, yes I recommend using the flat bench the traditional way if the person performing the exercise either has low back problems or has trouble with range of motion. I think it will still work.
Hello I don’t have a bench for pull overs what can I do thank you
Hello I don’t have a bench for pull overs what can I do thank you
Hi Heather, this is what helped me when I trained before getting a bench.
Take a few pillows or folded blankets and stack them up on the floor. Lie across those so you have a little more range of motion. It won't be the same as having a bench, but it will help more than simply doing them on the floor.
Hope this helps!
THis video isnt working for me. Is there another place to watch it?
It says
"Sorry
Because of its privacy settings, this video cannot be played here."
Sorry about that, Jeff. I will have to ask my editor if there is another way to see it.
When doing this exercise, I feel it more in my abs rather than my chest and lats. Am I doing something wrong or is it okay to feel the burn in the abs? Thank you
Hi Elijah, I can understand feeling a stretch in the abs, but you should definitely feel it in the chest and lats as well. What program are you using this exercise in, and which area are you wanting to target? I may be able to offer some advice on how to feel it better with this information.
Thank you so much! This helped a lot
Awesome! Check back in if you need any other help. Happy training!
I am doing the dumbbell only workouts: 5 day dumbbell workout split. This exercise was on day three for back and biceps. I am working on the whole body with dumbbells though out the week and just wanted to ask about this as it is for chest and lats but in the back and bicep category. Thank you
Got it. Thanks for that extra info.
What I found helped me is to lie on the bench traditionally instead of across it. Then, I try to hold the dumbbell without maximizing my grip. I try to think of it as holding my hands like a bowl that the top end of the dumbbell is sitting in, if that helps. Finally, when you stretch back, make sure you feel that stretch in the lats for a second or two before pulling it back up. A slight bend in the elbows will help keep it on the lats instead of the triceps.
Hope that helps!
I can kind of feel it, I need something more “burning” that can get my chest on fire and get muscle faster and bigger. Do you have any other recommendations or suggestions for chest?
Hi Isaac, this page has many chest exercises you can do.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/chest
Exercise not for chess but dorsal muscles.
What is the alternative move for this? I use adjustable dumbbells at home and I don't have a bench
Hi Rifki, without a bench, you are limited to rows but if you can find something elevated you can lie on, then you can do pullovers that way so you can get the max stretch at the end. Do you have any other fitness equipment at all? I may be able to come up with other alternatives if so.
Any alternative?
What equipment do you have access to, Omar? I don't want to waste time making suggestions you can't do.
What alternatives I can do? as I usually stretch my arms than my chest.
Training at home or a gym, Aziz?
Is it normal to feel slight pain in one side of the shoulder but none on the other side? Does this suggest one shoulder is more flexible than the other?
Thank you.
Hi Sara, that is my best guess based on what you told me. I would suggest committing more time to warm up the less flexible shoulder and work on mobility so you can improve the balance and reap all the benefits that the pullover offers.
I'm worried that I'm overextended my arms (though I'm just extending them till I touch my ears) because my right shoulder, especially at the joint kind of hurts afterwards, so now I'm coping with just decreasing the range of movement downwards [extending my arms to around 5 cm above my head]. Are my actions correct and will this affect my muscle gains greatly? Or should I replace this with another exercise that trains the same muscle groups? Many thanks. [For context, I have no shoulder pain usually]
Hi Sara, thanks for reading M&S! I always err on the side of caution and will suggest keeping the range of motion to what you are comfortable with. I don't see this harming your potential much for a while. Now as you get more advanced, you could swap for a straight arm cable pulldown if you train in a gym.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/straight-arm-lat-pull-down.html
Can we substitute flies for this?
If the pullover is meant to focus on the chest for the workouts you are doing, then yes. Some trainers and experts put pullovers in for lats, which they also work. If that is the case in your program, then flyes would not be suitable.
How much weight do I use being a beginner but want to grow muscle with these exercises
The lightest you can do that would help you learn the proper form. Start with a weight that you would bet money you could perform the exercise perfectly with. Then, gradually go heavier until you feel challenged without losing form.
Hi, does it matter if I lie along the bench instead of at 90 degrees?
Hey Graham, you are supposed to lie 90 degrees to get the best stretch in the lats and longest range of motion. However, if you have back issues or are concerned about balance, lie on the bench in the traditional way. It works as well.
Hi. I have a childhood shoulder injury and cannot lift weights above my head.
Are there any alternatives to this exercise?
I would suggest talking to your physician, Mark. Without knowing the extent of the injury, it would be unwise of me to make recommendations.
Why is there a push work out on a pull day?
Hi, Dylan. Pullovers work the chest as well as the upper back, especially at the top half of the movement, so many programs include pullovers as well. Hope this helps!
Thank you, I was confused because they page said none on secondary muscles lol
Can I do it while lying down on the floor without the bench ?
You can. Lie folded blankets on the floor to get a little more range of motion. It won't be completely as effective, but it will work.
Thank you
Is it normal for this to hit the triceps? I get a serious tricep workout from doing this
Since your triceps are actually connected to the lats, then they will work somewhat. Concentrate on driving the elbows and feeling the stretch in the lats, and that may help minimize the tris working. Also, keep the bend in the elbow the same throughout the rep if possible. If they bend more as you come up, the tris will engage.
Can you do it will lying down on a bench? Or do you have to do it specifically that way?