How many sets and reps of the barbell pullover should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Three sets of 10 reps is enough while you're learning the stretch; add small plates only once every rep stays pain-free at the bottom and the low back stays flat on the bench the whole time.

What can I do instead of the barbell pullover with no barbell?

Swap in a single dumbbell pullover, cupping one dumbbell under the top plate with both hands, or use a resistance band anchored overhead while lying on the floor. Both load the same overhead arc without needing a bar and a bench.

What is the barbell pullover good for and when should you skip it?

It expands the rib cage and stretches the lats and chest together, and it lets experienced lifters load that stretch heavier than most pullover variations. It's a poor choice for anyone with shoulder impingement or a cranky low back, since the fixed grip width can't be adjusted to a more comfortable angle the way a dumbbell can.

Intermediate

Barbell Pullover

The barbell pullover trains the lats and pecs together across a big overhead arc, making it one of the best expanders of upper-body reach and rib-cage mobility. Keep the elbows only slightly bent so the shoulder does the work rather than the elbow. Program it after your heavy rows or presses as a stretch-focused accessory.

Equipment: Barbell, Bench
Body part: Chest, Lats
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement: Vertical Pull

How to do it

1
Lie flat on a bench with your feet planted and hold a barbell over your chest with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
2
Soften the elbows to a fixed slight bend and brace your abs so the lower back stays flat.
3
Inhale and lower the bar in a smooth arc back over your head until you feel a deep stretch through the lats and chest.
4
Stop before the shoulders round forward or the low back arches off the bench.
5
Pull the bar back over your chest by driving through the lats, exhaling as you finish.
6
Control the tempo throughout and avoid bouncing out of the bottom.

Tips

Think about pulling with your armpits, not bending your elbows.
Only go as deep as your shoulder mobility allows with a flat lower back.
Start light; the long lever makes a modest load feel heavy at the stretch.

Variations

Common mistakes

The wrists cock backward to cradle the bar instead of staying stacked underneath it, loading the wrist joint on every rep instead of the shoulder.
The low back lifts off the bench right as the bar reaches the bottom of the arc, swapping a shoulder stretch for a lumbar extension the lift was never meant to load.
Once the shoulders start rounding forward at the bottom, the bar keeps dropping anyway, pulling the joint past the point where the lats can control it.
Setting up with a grip much wider than shoulder width turns the pull into a chest-fly variation and drags tension away from the lats.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the barbell pullover should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Three sets of 10 reps is enough while you're learning the stretch; add small plates only once every rep stays pain-free at the bottom and the low back stays flat on the bench the whole time.
What can I do instead of the barbell pullover with no barbell?: Swap in a single dumbbell pullover, cupping one dumbbell under the top plate with both hands, or use a resistance band anchored overhead while lying on the floor. Both load the same overhead arc without needing a bar and a bench.
What is the barbell pullover good for and when should you skip it?: It expands the rib cage and stretches the lats and chest together, and it lets experienced lifters load that stretch heavier than most pullover variations. It's a poor choice for anyone with shoulder impingement or a cranky low back, since the fixed grip width can't be adjusted to a more comfortable angle the way a dumbbell can.

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