Barbell Pullover

Barbell Pullover trains 4 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Lats 75%, Chest 45%, Triceps 40%, Abs 25%.

Accessory Level: Intermediate Barbell Bench Pull Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Barbell Pullover - Start position — Start position

Barbell Pullover - Finish position — Finish position

How to do it

Lie on a flat bench holding a barbell over your chest with a narrow overhand grip.
Bend your elbows slightly and keep that angle fixed.
Lower the bar back over your head until you feel a deep stretch through your lats and ribs.
Pull it back over your chest along the same arc.
Keep your ribs pulled down. Arching your back to reach further just stretches your lower spine.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

Lats 75%
Chest 45%
Triceps 40%
Abs 25%

How it compares

Compared with the Straight-Arm Dumbbell Pullover, it loads Triceps 10 points higher, Abs 5 points higher, Chest 5 points higher. It needs Barbell + Bench where the other uses Dumbbells + Bench. Compared with the Pendlay Row, it loads Mid-back / traps 100 points lower, Rear delts 55 points lower, Chest 45 points higher. It needs Barbell + Bench where the other uses Barbell.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Lats

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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