Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullover
oec:cross-bench-dumbbell-pullover
An upper-body movement performed lying perpendicular across a flat bench that targets the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, and serratus anterior through shoulder extension.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Cross-Bench Pullover, Perpendicular Dumbbell Pullover, Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullovers
How to do it
Setup
- Place a dumbbell upright on the flat bench.
- Lie perpendicular across the bench so only your upper back and shoulder blades rest on the pad, with your head supported or positioned just off the edge.
- Plant your feet firmly on the floor roughly shoulder-width apart, knees bent at approximately 90 degrees, and bridge your hips slightly below parallel with your torso.
- Grasp the top inner plate of the dumbbell with both hands, cupping the underside in a diamond grip with thumbs and index fingers overlapping the handle.
- Hold the dumbbell directly above your chest with a slight, fixed bend in your elbows.
Movement
- Inhale deeply and slowly lower the dumbbell backward in an arc over your head, keeping the bend in your elbows constant.
- Continue descending until you feel a deep, comfortable stretch in your lats and chest, keeping your hips stationary.
- Pull the dumbbell back along the same arc by contracting your lats and chest until it is returned to the starting position above your chest.
- Exhale as you near the top of the movement and squeeze your chest and lats before initiating the next repetition.
Breathing
Inhale deeply as you lower the weight to expand the ribcage and maximize the stretch; exhale forcefully as you pull the dumbbell back over your chest.
Cues
- Keep elbows softly bent and locked in place.
- Pull through your armpits, not your hands.
- Keep your hips steady—do not thrust your hips to bounce the weight.
Common faults
- Bending and extending the elbows excessively, turning the pullover into a triceps extension.
- Maintain a fixed, slight bend in the elbows throughout the entire range of motion.
- Overarching the lower spine or violently swinging the hips to gain momentum.
- Keep your glutes and core engaged to stabilize the pelvis and isolate movement to the shoulder joint.
- Lowering the weight beyond comfortable active shoulder mobility, risking impingement.
- Stop the descent once your upper arms are roughly aligned with your torso or when a deep stretch is achieved without joint discomfort.
Safety
- Check that your grip on the dumbbell head is secure before moving the weight over your face.
- Individuals with shoulder impingement or glenohumeral instability should limit the depth of the eccentric stretch.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Flexion, Extension
- Shoulder blade: Upward rotation, Downward rotation
- Elbow: Isometric stabilization
- Hip: Isometric stabilization
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Pull
- Modality
- Hypertrophy, Strength
- Mechanics
- isolation
- Force
- pull
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- intermediate
- Equipment
- Dumbbell; Flat bench or Adjustable bench
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, total
Related
- variation of Dumbbell Pullover
- substitute for Machine Pullover
- substitute for Cable Incline Pullover
Sources
- wger: Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullovers, by powerade69 (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.