Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover (knees at 90 degrees)

Description

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

1. 1
   Setup

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

2. 2
   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. 3

   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. 4

   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. 5

   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.