Pull Over - Straight Arm Dumbbell

Recommendations: 2-3 Sets, 8-12 Reps, 805 Wght

Intermediate Lats Shoulders Chest Strength Dumbbell Flat Bench Push Compound Gym

Purpose: This exercise puts more emphasis on your lats.

Benefits: This exercise is an alternative isolation exercise for the development of the lats. It also stretches the pecs.

Hold a dumbbell with both hands, letting it rest between the thumb and first finger of both hands. Place your shoulders across the bench with your body straight and your knees at right angles and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms, elbow straight, so that the dumbbell is above your chest. This is the starting position. Slowly lower the dumbbell through an arc until the dumbbell is behind your head and the upper arms are parallel to the floor. Inhale during this movement. Hold briefly (about 1-2 seconds). Return the dumbbell to the starting position by reversing the raising of the weight through the same arc as was used for lowering it. Exhale during this movement. Repeat for the required number of repetitions.


The lats is the larger, flat, dorso-lateral muscle on the trunk, posterior to the arm, and partly covered by the traps on its median dorsal region. It pulls the arm back and down towards the spine.

Step 1

Lie across a flat bench, holding a dumbbell cupped in both hands. Extend arms, elbows straight, dumbbell above your chest.

pull-over-straight-arm-dumbbell-step-0

Hold a dumbbell with both hands, letting it rest between the thumb and first finger of both hands. Place your shoulders across the bench with your body straight and your knees at right angles and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms, elbow straight, so that the dumbbell is above your chest. This is the starting position.

Step 2

Lower the dumbbell, with slightly bent arms, in an arc until you feel a stretch in your chest.

pull-over-straight-arm-dumbbell-step-1

Slowly lower the dumbbell through an arc until the dumbbell is behind your head and the upper arms are parallel to the floor. Inhale during this movement. Hold briefly (about 1-2 seconds).

Step 3

Raise the dumbbell (with elbows slightly bent) to the starting position.

pull-over-straight-arm-dumbbell-step-2

Return the dumbbell to the starting position by reversing the raising of the weight through the same arc as was used for lowering it. Exhale during this movement.