Dumbbell Pullover

About This Exercise

A classic chest-emphasis pullover performed lying on a bench. The athlete holds a single dumbbell with both hands by the inner plate, lowers it behind the head with naturally slightly-bent arms (not locked-straight, not fully bent), then pulls it back over the chest. The slight elbow bend and chest-up bench position bias the load to the chest and serratus rather than the lats. Distinct from Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover (older bodybuilding name; same general mechanic but explicit elbow bend prescribed), Straight-Arm Dumbbell Pullover (arms locked-straight; pure lat-emphasis variant), and cable straight-arm pulldowns (lat-emphasis cable variant).

1Setup

Lie face-up on a flat bench with feet flat on the floor and shoulder blades pinned. Hold a dumbbell vertically with both hands cupped under the inner plate (palms pressing up against the underside of the upper plate, thumbs and index fingers around the handle). Start with the arms extended straight up over the chest, elbows soft (slightly bent — not locked, not deeply bent). Brace the trunk; ribs stay down (do not let them flare).

2Execution

Inhaling, lower the dumbbell back overhead in a controlled arc, keeping the elbows fixed at their slight-bent angle (do not extend or flex the elbow during the rep). Lower until you feel a strong stretch through the chest and serratus — typically when the upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor or just past. Pause briefly, then exhale and pull the dumbbell back over the chest along the same arc, keeping the elbows fixed throughout. Stop when the arms are vertical again. The motion is in the shoulders, not the elbows.

Pro Tips

• Elbows stay fixed at a slight bend throughout — the rep is shoulder flexion/extension, not a triceps extension
• Ribs down, lower back neutral — do not arch the back to extend the range; the stretch comes from the chest, not the spine
• Cup the dumbbell with both hands by the inner plate — fingers and thumbs locked around the handle for safety. A loose grip is how lifters drop a heavy DB on their face.
• Tempo: 2-3s eccentric on the way back, brief pause at full stretch, controlled return
• Pair with chest-press movements for hypertrophy bodybuilding work — Dumbbell Pullover hits the chest stretched + serratus, complementing pressing-pattern compression of the chest