Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover (knees at 90 degrees)

Description

How to do Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover (knees at 90 degrees)

1. 01
   Setup

   Lie supine on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.

2. 02
   Setup

   Hold one dumbbell with both hands, gripping an end of the dumbbell with your palms facing each other, and extend it directly over your chest with a slight bend in your elbows.

3. 03

   Inhale deeply, then slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head, keeping your arms mostly straight with that slight bend in the elbows.

4. 04

   Feel a stretch in your chest and lats as you reach the lowest comfortable point, ensuring your lower back remains pressed into the bench.

5. 05

   Exhale as you pull the dumbbell back over your chest along the same arc, contracting your chest and lats to return to the starting position.

Tips

• Maintain a slight elbow bend throughout the entire movement to protect your joints and emphasize the stretch on the target muscles.
• Focus on the stretch by allowing your shoulder blades to protract slightly at the bottom of the movement to achieve a deeper stretch in your lats and chest.
• Control the negative (lowering) phase of the movement to maximize time under tension and muscle engagement for better development.
• Keep your abdominal muscles braced and lower back pressed into the bench to prevent hyperextension of the spine, especially as the dumbbell goes behind your head.

Common mistakes

• Bending your elbows excessively turns this into a triceps exercise, so keep a slight, fixed bend in your elbows to keep tension on the chest and lats.
• Arching your lower back to lower the weight further can strain your spine, so keep your core engaged and lower back pressed into the bench to maintain spinal neutrality.
• Using momentum to swing the dumbbell up reduces muscle activation, so use a controlled, deliberate motion to pull the weight back over your chest.