Barbell Pullover

What you'll gain

• Builds lats through a deep loaded stretch most pulls miss.

• Adds chest and serratus involvement as a secondary benefit.

• Reinforces overhead shoulder mobility under controlled load.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Lie back on a flat bench with your head supported and feet planted flat on the floor.

2. 2

   Hold a barbell over your chest with a shoulder-width grip and a slight bend in the elbows.

3. 3

   Brace your core and pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench.

4. 4

   Lower the bar slowly in an arc behind your head until you feel a deep stretch in the lats.

5. 5

   Pause briefly at the bottom, keeping the elbow angle locked, then pull the bar back over the chest.

6. 6

   Stop the bar above the chest line and reset before the next controlled rep.

Common Mistakes

• Bending and straightening the elbows mid-rep, which turns the lift into a triceps extension.

• Lowering the bar too fast, which strains the front shoulders without loading the lats.

• Lifting the lower back off the bench, which removes tension from the lats and stresses the spine.

• Using too much weight, which forces the elbows to collapse and breaks the overhead arc.

About This Exercise

The barbell pullover is a classic accessory lift that loads the lats through a long overhead arc. Lying on a bench, the lifter holds the bar with straight or slightly bent arms and lowers it back behind the head, then pulls it back over the chest. It stretches the lats deeply, hits the chest as a secondary mover, and was a staple of golden-era bodybuilding for opening up the rib cage. For app builders working in hypertrophy, rehab-adjacent training, or mobility-blended programs, the pullover is a smart inclusion. Ship it as accessory inventory in back-day blocks, as a supersetting partner for pulldowns, or as a stretch-loaded option in shoulder-friendly upper-body tracks.

Looking for an exercise animation collection for your app, coaching platform, or content workflow? MoveKit gives you consistent quality across every movement so your product feels cohesive from first launch through scale.

Build faster with related MoveKit resources