Pullover chest exercise for women

The pullover exercise (you can find a variant of the name “pullover” - from the English pull over) helps to work the pectoral muscles, affects the latissimus dorsi, and also helps to expand the chest if performed at a young age. Let's look at this exercise in detail and talk about the different options for performing a pullover with a dumbbell, with a barbell, and in a machine. And finally, we will look at the nuances that are important to take into account in order to avoid common mistakes and get the maximum result.

Purpose of the exercise and muscles involved

You won't be able to pump up your chest using the pullover exercise alone. Why do it? It has a different goal and is rather auxiliary in nature. It makes sense to do the exercise in combination with other exercises for the chest, as it promotes stretching, and most importantly, an increase in the volume of the chest. In terms of its intended purpose, it can be partly compared with the Rader thrust, also aimed at expanding the chest.

The effectiveness of such exercises varies depending on age. At a young age, when the bones and cartilage of our skeleton continue to grow and form, the most impressive results can be achieved. Indicators vary depending on the body, but on average, men grow to 20-27 years, and women to 18-20.

But this does not mean that after a certain age the situation becomes hopeless and there is no point in doing the exercise. This is wrong. The results will definitely be more modest, but you can still get valuable additional millimeters of volume, especially if you combine training with breathing squats.

To be fair, it should be said that the debate about whether doing a pullover contributes to the expansion of the chest due to the factors indicated above has not subsided to this day. There are many supporters and opponents of this point of view, who have not yet come to a common opinion.

Now let's talk about muscle function. During execution the following are loaded:

1. pectoralis major muscles;
2. latissimus dorsi muscle;
3. triceps (mostly the long head).

The serratus anterior and intercostal muscles are also additionally involved, the diaphragm works, and the shoulders and brachialis act as assistants.

Thus, if at your age skeletal growth is no longer happening (or you think that the exercise does not expand the “bone”), doing a pullover makes sense, if only because it is simply an excellent exercise that works important muscle groups, which can be included in the final part of the upper body and chest training, both for men and girls.

With a dumbbell

First of all, let's look at the technique of performing a pullover with a dumbbell, as the most common and popular option. The exercise is performed lying on a horizontal bench.

Moreover, you can often find options for lying across or along the bench. It is believed that in the first case the muscles receive a greater load and are better stretched, so we will consider this one. You can be guided by your own feelings and choose the best option for yourself, since the differences in technology are minimal.

You can also sometimes find an option to perform on an inclined bench (head pointing down), in which the emphasis shifts towards the latissimus dorsi muscles. But this is rather exotic, and for training the lats you can choose much more effective and familiar exercises.

Finally, another possible variation is arms straight or bent at the elbows. Straightening the arms largely eliminates the triceps from the work, shifting the emphasis to the upper chest and back muscles: the latissimus, rhomboids and teres major.

Now let's look at the technique of performing the classic version of a dumbbell pullover:

1. Take a lying position across a horizontal bench. In other words, your torso is perpendicular to the bench. The upper back rests on the bench, the legs rest on the floor and are bent at an angle of just over 90° - a kind of “bridge” is obtained.
2. Gently grasp the dumbbell with both hands (ideally, ask an assistant to give you the apparatus) by the bottom of the disk, the bar passes between crossed thumbs, palms pointing away from you, the second disk hangs freely. Raise it above your head with your arms slightly bent at the elbows. This will be the starting position.
3. As you inhale, slowly and under control lower the dumbbell back and down behind your head, feeling how your pectoral muscles stretch as you inhale and abduct. During the movement, only the shoulder joints work; if you move the elbow joints, you will get something similar to a French press.
4. At the lowest point, feel the maximum stretch in your chest. Try not to lift your pelvis upward (you will definitely want to do this) - this will reduce the effectiveness of the stretch.
5. Raise the dumbbell to the starting position, exhaling and feeling the muscle contraction. Do the planned number of repetitions (for beginners, 10-12 repetitions with a weight of no more than 10 kg).

It is worth mentioning a variation that is often called the “breathing pullover”. The difference in technique is to first force your lungs to do powerful work, which is done first by doing squats.

These can be either regular squats with a barbell on your shoulders (15-20 repetitions) or your own weight, or breathing squats - three deep breaths at the top point, holding your breath and squatting to parallel, returning to the starting position and exhaling powerfully.

After squats, immediately (without a pause) a breathing pullover is performed, also with powerful inhalation and exhalation. The chest “bulges” from the work done during squats, and the pullover helps to consolidate the effect, similar to the Rader row mentioned above.

Before experimenting with breathing, consult a trainer. If you have little experience, you may feel dizzy.

With a barbell

A pullover with a barbell is not much different from the version with a dumbbell. The bar is taken with a straight grip. The grip width may vary, but it is recommended to place your hands approximately shoulder-width apart, but not wider, so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.

In the case of a barbell, the most common option is to perform a pullover lying along the bench, and not across it. Make sure that your feet rest firmly on the floor and do not lift your pelvis (while moving the projectile behind your head).

Lower the bar smoothly, without jerking. The arms are lowered to approximately parallel with the floor or slightly lower.

In the simulator

Finally, there are variations of performing the exercise in the simulator - standing or sitting, and not lying down, as in the classic version. These can be simulators such as “Nautilus” or “Crossover”.

In the first case, the trajectory and amplitude of movement will be rigidly specified due to the fixed crossbar. Your back should be pressed tightly against the seat. The bar stretches down to chest level, then smoothly rises to the top position. Don’t forget to monitor your breathing: crossbar at chest level – exhale; moves to the top position - inhale.

In a crossover, there are no strict limits and the amplitude of movement can be adjusted depending on your tasks. You can adjust both the machine itself and your own position, including the distance from you to the machine.

A pullover near the block, therefore, can be aimed at developing the latissimus dorsi muscle, the upper part of the deltoids, it can affect the rhomboid and round muscles, and the triceps are excluded altogether. The technique on a block simulator as a whole can be represented as follows:

1. Attach the horizontal handle to the top block. Stand at the machine so that the handle is above your head. Grasp the handle with both hands with an overhand grip. The arms are almost straight, the elbows are slightly bent, the back is straight.
2. Pull the handle down by tightening your lats, keeping your back and arms straight, to approximately hip level.
3. Pause for a couple of seconds at the bottom point, then smoothly and under control return to the starting position.

Reducing the range of motion at the top will allow you to practically eliminate the pectoral muscles from the work and focus on the latissimus. Depending on your goals, place the exercise at the end of your chest or back workout, respectively.

Important nuances - eliminating errors

And some final recommendations:

1. Watch the sensations in your shoulder joints, because they bear a significant load. To reduce the likelihood of injury, be sure to warm up at the beginning of your workout. For the same reason, you should not immediately use too much weight at maximum amplitude. If you are an experienced athlete and are ready to work with more weight, perform fewer repetitions (5-8) and reduce the amplitude a little.
2. The pullover is not the main exercise. Place it near the end of your chest training program.
3. If you want to focus on the upper pecs, you can use light weights and perform the exercise with almost straight arms. The number of repetitions is high - 15 times or more.
4. If you are doing pullovers in the machine, it is also not recommended to use heavy weights; focus on technique. Make sure there are no sudden movements, jerking, bending or rocking. Only the chest and back muscles work. This is an isolation exercise.

Now you know everything about pullovers, or almost everything, in order to decide whether to include this exercise in your training. Good luck and new sporting achievements!

The pullover exercise has been loved by athletes since the golden era of bodybuilding. Most often, athletes used a pullover to increase their bench press performance.

However, not so long ago, doctors discovered another useful property in it - stretching the pectoral and serratus anterior muscles gives an impetus to the growth of the chest.

Pullover - what is it?

This word comes from the English “pull” (pull) and “over” (above, on top): the athlete lies with his back on the bench, takes a dumbbell or barbell, pulls it back and down, stretching the muscles of the back and chest, and begins to “pull” the projectile over your head.

Muscles involved

A pullover is an exercise that “pumps up” 2 large muscle groups at once:

1. Breasts
2. Latissimus dorsi muscles.

In addition, a long triceps bundle is involved in the pullover. The distribution of load between these three muscles varies depending on the range of motion and the angle of the bench.

Active muscles when performing a pullover with dumbbells

The pecs and triceps in the starting position are extremely stretched. They receive 80% of the load during the phase of raising their arms from behind the head and straightening them. Turning to anatomy, we understand that it is impossible to perform such a movement without the participation of these two muscles. It follows that a pullover can be a good “finishing” exercise on chest and arm day.

This isolating exercise is also suitable for “targeted” work of the back muscles: after the hands pass through the vertical, the pectoral and triceps lose “power” and transfer “control” to the lats. Of course, the range for their full involvement in the work is too small, so to properly work out the back muscles, use an inclined bench (position below the horizontal).

Pullover with barbell

Inventory: horizontal or inclined bench, barbell with a straight bar.

Approaches: 2-3

Repetitions: 10-15

Technique:

1. Press your entire body tightly against the bench. Position your head so that it is on the edge of the bench, but does not hang down. Spread your legs wider (about as if you were doing a bench press) and press them firmly into the floor. Ask a friend to give you a barbell with well-fixed plates.
2. Take the bar with an overhand grip (the distance between the hands is 25-30 cm) and bring it above you, almost completely straightening your arms. Exhale. Ready?
3. Bend your elbows slightly and begin to smoothly lower the barbell back and down, bringing it behind your head. Continue until you feel your pecs and lats stretch, but don't let your shoulder joints become painful. The trajectory of the barbell movement is a semicircle.
4. Hold your hands at the point of highest tension for 1.5-2 seconds. Next, with a powerful but smooth movement, return the projectile to its original position, moving it along the same trajectory. Don't forget that your arms should always be bent at the elbows (we take care of the joints).

Incline Barbell Pullover: Active Muscles

Tips for implementation:

1. When lowering the barbell, take a deep breath; when lifting, forcefully exhale.
2. Remember that your goal is maximum stretching of the sternum muscles
3. Maintain an angle of your elbow joints of about 150 degrees
4. When you master the technique of performing a pullover with a straight bar, switch to a curved one - it’s safer for your joints
5. If you feel discomfort in the spine and abdominal cavity, place your feet on a bench
6. The main thing is to maintain a stable position of your torso, pressing tightly against the bench

Pullover with dumbbell

Inventory: horizontal or inclined bench, dumbbell with a handle convenient for working with two hands.

Approaches: 2-3

Repetitions: 10-15

Technique:

Pullover with a dumbbell: technique

1. We lie down on the bench in the same way as when doing a pullover with a barbell. We ask your partner to hand you a dumbbell.
2. We grasp the dumbbell by the end with both palms so that they are directed towards the ceiling. We raise the projectile above ourselves, gradually straightening our arms. Let's exhale.
3. We begin to lower the dumbbell behind our head, intensely drawing in air through our chest. Move the apparatus in a semicircle until you feel that your pectoral and back muscles are well stretched.
4. At the bottom point, hold your breath for 1.5-2 seconds and smoothly return the dumbbell to its original position, maintaining tension in your elbows and exhaling powerfully.

Tips for implementation:

1. Don't bend your elbows too much—you're doing a pullover, not a French press.
2. Proper breathing in this exercise is your main assistant in expanding the chest
3. If you are uncomfortable doing pullovers with a dumbbell, you can replace it with a barbell plate of the same weight
4. There is another variation of this exercise: you sit on the bench not along, but across (as in the photo above), leaning on it with the middle part of your back; in the first phase of the movement, lower your pelvis, and in the second, lift it

Pullover in a block trainer

Inventory: upper block for standing.

Number of approaches: 2-3

Number of repetitions: 12-15

A pullover on a block is an excellent tool for giving shape and definition to the latissimus dorsi and lower chest muscles.

Muscles used when performing a pullover on a pulley machine

Before performing a pullover, adjust the simulator to your parameters (the handle of the block should be at head level).

Technique:

1. Take the starting position: turn to face the block, take the handle with a straight grip. Step back a little, bend your legs slightly at the knees, tilt your body forward, keeping your back straight. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows. The handle of the block should be 20-30 cm in front of your head.
2. Take in more air into your lungs and with a powerful movement, pull the handle down, remembering to bend your arms at the elbow joint. The trajectory is an arc of large radius.
3. Lower your arms until they reach your upper thighs. Hold them in this position, feeling the tension in your pecs and lats.
4. Exhale completely and smoothly return your hands to the starting position.

Tips for implementation:

1. Pullover on a block does not require the use of large weights; in this case, it is the quality of muscle development that is important
2. We remind you once again: keep a moderate bend in your elbows
3. keep your body motionless so that “extra” muscles are not involved in the work
4. breathe deeply - this is important to keep the spine in the correct position

Video of performing a pullover exercise with a dumbbell

Video Pullover on a block exercise machine for back muscles

Excellent video from Denis Borisov, clearly shows how to properly pump up your back at the block

What is the best way to make a pullover: with straight arms or half-bent ones?

Everything is very simple:

1. Pullover with bent arms - a strength exercise that strengthens your muscles and gives them definition.
2. Pullover with straight arms - an exercise of a different plan, the purpose of which is to enlarge the chest. Usually this exercise is performed after high-repetition squats, when the lungs are already well “swinged”. Such squats are called breathing squats.

Benefits of Exercise

By incorporating the pullover exercise into your training program, you:

1. Add volume to your chest
2. Strengthen your deltoids and shoulder joints
3. Give relief to the lower pectoral muscles and latissimus, “outline” the serratus muscles
4. Develop the overall functionality of the body

Flaws

This exercise does not belong to the basic class, so you should not put it at the center of your training program. Don't forget that most muscle mass is built by doing the bench press, deadlift and squat. And a pullover is a good isolating exercise that will give your pectoral and back muscles a beautiful definition and make your skeleton wider.

Does exercise harm your shoulders?

If performed incorrectly, the pullover puts excessive pressure on the cartilage surrounding the shoulder joint. If they are damaged, the athlete will have to postpone training for 3-6 months.

If you listen to the following tips, your shoulders will be in perfect order:

1. warm up your shoulder joints thoroughly before doing a pullover
2. maintain a moderate range of motion, do not lower the projectile too far behind your head
3. start with small weights

Useful tips

Previously, we gave tips on making specific types of pullovers, now it remains to summarize them:

1. Be sure to maintain a slight bend in the elbow joint
2. Do pullovers with an EZ barbell more often. This will relieve some of the dangerous stress on your elbows and wrists.
3. Lower the exercise until you feel a stretch in your muscles, not pain in your shoulders.
4. Don't be shy about asking your partner for help if you need insurance.
5. Don't use cheating

To summarize, we can say:

Pullover is an extremely useful exercise, for which you do not have to purchase expensive equipment that takes up a lot of space. The pullover is suitable for both beginners dreaming of a strong chest, and experienced athletes looking for an effective “finishing” exercise for the chest and back muscles.

The main thing is to increase the weight of the projectile gradually and do not forget to follow a safe technique for performing this exercise to avoid injuries to the shoulder and elbow joints. A pullover is another weighty “brick” in building a powerful and beautiful body.

Hello dear readers. Alexander Bely is with you. I suddenly thought about it and remembered that it had been a long time since we had a training session with you, dear girls. But that's not so bad. You should already know thoroughly how to pump up your butt, tighten your legs, lose and gain weight. But we didn’t work on the chest or back!

That's why I decided to do a little strength training with you today. Because the pullover exercise for girls is, in principle, a strength exercise, although, depending on how you do it, it can also be breathing. But in any case, it perfectly stretches the chest, and the muscles of this group, and not only that.

For or against

I know for sure - more than once I have heard from you some doubts about whether or not it is worth doing strength exercises at all, with dumbbells, with a barbell. I will answer: it’s not worth it in only one case – if your task is solely to lose weight. But, in my opinion, it rarely happens that weight loss occurs without tightening somewhere, “rounding” somewhere, adding something.

And this is where dumbbells, barbells, and strength training are needed, because only with their help can you transform fat tissue into muscle. And if you are afraid of gaining a masculine figure - empty! Nature and estrogen will not allow this.

So let’s warm up for now, and I’ll tell you what muscles the pullover uses, how, and why you should include this exercise in your workouts.

What muscles?

In principle, a pullover, in some respects, can be considered an isolating exercise for the pectoral muscle group. But, in fact, you can do it in such a way that it will be extremely useful for your back. By the way, this is what we will do. But the main thing is still the chest. The pullover, first of all, expands the chest itself, and greatly stretches the upper bundle of the pectoral muscles. But this is precisely one of the main factors why this exercise is extremely useful for women - stretching the upper chest makes your precious breasts not only higher, but also more elastic. Agree, valuable quality!

In addition to the chest, the pullover also has a beneficial effect on the triceps, which, by the way, is also quite often a problem area for women’s arms, and also stretches the latissimus muscles, and you will feel it, thereby strengthening your back as a whole. The press also plays an important role here.

I hope you're interested. But in order for the entire effect I promised to really be achieved, each of the variants of this exercise must, of course, have the correct execution technique.

Technique for performing with a dumbbell

So, a pullover can be performed standing on a machine or lying on a bench, with a barbell or dumbbells, and, as I said, the exercise can be breathing or strength.

Let's start with a power version, lying on a bench, with dumbbells. Since we agreed that we would simultaneously use not only the chest, but also the triceps, back, and abs, we will have to lie down on the bench across, if, of course, this can be called “lying down.”

In general, only the shoulder girdle should be on the bench, the head should hang slightly, the stomach, hips, naturally, below the shoulders. Therefore, you need to rest your feet more comfortably, bending them at the knees and spreading them apart.

Considering that a pullover greatly stretches the muscles, the first approach should be done with minimal weight, thereby conducting a “session” of stretching. And the working weight, by the way, should not be particularly large either, because only one joint is involved in the exercise, the shoulder. More precisely, two, of course, but you understand what I mean. If you want to exercise with weights, it’s better to devote basic training to this, where the risk of getting sprains or dislocations, again, if done correctly, is significantly lower precisely due to its “multi-joint nature.”

So, we settled down. The most convenient and correct way is to take a dumbbell by clasping the inner surface of one of its extensions with both hands. Now raise your arms strictly above you, bend your elbows slightly, and make sure that the bend angle remains this way throughout the entire execution.

Inhale and lower your hands behind your head. The lowest point is your arms parallel to the floor, the maximum is a little lower, but it’s better not to. One of the main rules is to maintain amplitude. It is the desire to increase it that is one of the main mistakes that leads to shoulder injuries.

Stay at the bottom point for literally a second, so you will just feel the stretching of the latissimus dorsi muscles, and begin to return to the starting position, while exhaling no earlier than passing your hands “halfway”, that is, closer to the top point.

During the execution, try not to arch into a bridge, lifting your hips up - in this way you redistribute the load from the chest, back, to the legs and abs, which means, in fact, the pullover loses all meaning.

And constantly keep your muscles tense - this way you load them, and not the spine.

With a barbell

The power version with a barbell, as a rule, is adopted when the working weight has reached such a limit that the weight and, accordingly, the size of the dumbbell simply interfere with the correct execution of the exercise. You can, of course, do it with two dumbbells. In this case, make sure that your palms are permanently turned towards each other.

There are several options with a barbell. Firstly, with a straight bar or Z-shaped, and secondly, on a straight or inclined bench. On an incline bench, the option is somewhat harder, since you have to lie down on it with your head down, but the amplitude will be greater - at the lower point parallel to the body, at the top - perpendicular to the floor. But regarding the neck, you can safely use the Z-shaped one - with it, perhaps, you will be even more comfortable.

The grip of the barbell, of course, can be varied, but in the original it is average, that is, somewhere shoulder-width apart. Next, perform the same as with a dumbbell. But an additional difficulty here is that you need to monitor your coordination, that is, control your movements and ensure that the bar does not tilt too much.

As a rule, such a pullover, with a barbell or a dumbbell, is carried out after performing basic, basic chest exercises, for example, after a bench press. Yes, and the option with a barbell, after all, I would recommend more to men: it, of course, also works the chest and upper pectoral muscles, but, at the same time, it makes the chest wider. So keep that in mind.

Breathable pullover

The breathing version of the pullover, of course, also has an effect on both the “skeleton” and the muscles. However, here the result is achieved largely by expanding the chest by filling the lungs with air. This means that breathing plays one of the main roles in its implementation.

Here we will lie down on the bench horizontally. The head also hangs slightly, and the legs stand on the bench, bent at the knees.

About weight. Here you should start with no more than 2 kg, and the limit is 14 kg, but this is more likely for the stronger sex. After all, “bodybuilding mathematics” calculates in such a way that if you want to try to lift 14 kg in a breathing pullover, then lying down you will press at least 135 kg. That's it. So we take lighter dumbbells and lay down.

The main difference is that here we will perform the pullover not with bent arms, but with straight ones. Now, I hope, you understand where this weight limit comes from - injury is dangerous. By the way, it is with straight arms that the chest stretch is maximum during this exercise.

Raise the dumbbell above you and slowly lower it behind your head, taking a slow but deep breath. Watch your arms - they should only be straight at all times. Lowest point – arms parallel to the floor. Stay here for a second, try to inhale again, filling your lungs to the limit, and also slowly exhaling, return to the starting position.

Doesn't it remind you of any technology? Personally, I was very reminded of our stretching workout - just like at the bottom point, take an extra breath and so on.

Basically, that's all. Be sure to watch your breathing, do everything smoothly, without the slightest jerks or other sudden movements. The published photos will more clearly tell you both the work of the muscles and the correct execution of the pullover. Never forget about warming up, and in strength training, also about stretching.

Before finishing today’s article, first of all for girls I want to recommend the training program outlined in the video course “Lady Fitness”, which will help you build a slim, beautiful body.

Work out, play sports, exercise, or just do a little warm-up - any movement is life, a healthy life. See you soon.