There’s a reason that this exercise was held in such high regard by thousands of bodybuilders from the golden era. They work the chest, the back, the shoulders and to some degree – even the arms. Just like squats working the lower body, pullovers work every last bit of the upper body. However, I’d argue that the dumbbell pullover may just pip it to the post. The dip is often touted as the upper body squat and with good reason – it basically is. It can be used at the begining or end of a workout, it can be a chest or a back exercise, it can be done low reps or high reps – it’s such a multi-faceted move.Īnyway, I’ve listed a few of these unique benefits below to whet your appetite. The dumbbell pullover comes with so many benefits. Then, try to pull with your elbows like you would for rows – this allows for a clear focus on the back and will help burn the lats out nicely. Hold the bottom position for 2-3 seconds and focus on the contraction in your lats. God I hate saying that so much.Īll you have to do to really feel this in the lats is to get that stretch. As this is where the lats are most dominant, it could mean that I am getting a stronger mind muscle connection there. This could be because I tend to hold the stretch at the bottom of the movement for about 2 seconds. I’ll be honest with you, when I perform pullovers, I actually feel it more in my lats. This is a little bit tougher but it’s not rocket science – you can still do it easily enough. This will help to really empty the tank and isolate your pecs nicely. This is why so many old-school bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reg Park credit the dumbbell pullover for their amazing chest development.Īll you have to do is really squeeze the pecs throughout the full movement as this is one of those exercises that actually requires that mind muscle connection. Having the dumbbell behind/above the body and bringing it to the front of the body is naturally a chest-dominant move. Starting with the chest – this is a bit easier as the pullover does lend itself more towards chest activation. With that in mind, let’s break down how best to perform a dumbbell pullover for each. Is it a chest or a lat movement? Well, it’s both. Well it’s less of a community and more just a few fellas arguing online about muscle activation. There is a debate that rages amongst the dumbbell pullover community. It does still offer huge benefits for building a back like a barn door though as we will discuss a bit further down. The pullover allows for the chest to placed in an optimal position and the stretch that you get from it affects the muscles in the same way that flyes do but with the added bonus of being able to load heavier weight for more reps.Īt the bottom of the move, the stretch places a huge emphasis on the lats too, although once you lift the dumbbell past your head, this effect is lessened to some degree. Knowing about the mechanics behind the lift is key to understanding how to target certain areas and why different ways are better for different situations. We’ve talked about the history of the lift but let’s get into the nitty gritty – the mechanics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |