27/10/2025
The Dumbbell Pullover (and the Pullover in general) is an exercise that has long been a subject of debate within the Fitness Industry among Accredited Trainers (like myself), Fitness Influencers (who are often uninformed), and their followers (who tend to be even less informed).
Despite popular belief in the enchanting realm of Social Media, the Dumbbell Pullover is NOT an exercise targeting the chest.
I would never recommend or sell the Pullover as a chest exercise to a client, not even in a million years.
The Pullover is very much an exercise that targets the Outer Lats.
This is what Arthur Jones envisioned when he created the original Nautilus Pullover Machine, specifically to isolate the Latissimus Dorsi.
Before you ask "who?", Arthur Jones also invented the IsoKinetic (constant intensity) Off Cam Pulley System, which is now found in almost every gym worldwide. This system allows for equal force contractions throughout the full range of muscle motion. This topic will be discussed in a future article.
So, let's examine the kinesiology of the Dumbbell Pullover and the muscles involved.
When you are in the starting position, lying flat on a bench (not just with your shoulders supported across it) with the dumbbell secured above your upper chest, the pectoral muscles are indeed working. Their function is to move the arms forward, which means they are at this point acting as secondary supporting or stabilising muscles.
As you gradually move your arms back behind your head, keeping a slight bend at the elbows (drag and lock), you'll feel a stretch in the Latissimus Dorsi, with the Teres Major aiding in pulling the arm back. When you start lifting the weight back to the initial position, the outer edge of the Latissimus Dorsi contracts, continuously supported by the Lower Trapezius (which keeps the scapulas down and in), Anterior Deltoids, Pectoralis Major (Sternal Fibers), Serratus Anterior (which helps draw the arms forward), and the back muscles Teres Minor and Infraspinatus.
The (Dumbbell) Pullover does not primarily target the chest. This misconception stems from the myths that have surrounded this exercise since the 1970s.
Contrary to what was told the Pullover does not elevate and stretch the rib cage by extending the Costo-Chondrial Chest Cartilage to achieve a fuller, deeper chest - by performing it across a bench with only the shoulders supported.
It is a scientific fact that this does not happen and cannot happen much past puberty!
Following the bodybuilding films of the 70s, magazines emphasized this trend and developed a belief system around it, mainly because Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed that doing Pullovers had widened his chest and elevated his rib cage. He was famous for employing psychological strategies, implying he might have been deliberately spreading misinformation. He was the master of mind games.
And you should never perform the Pullover form across a bench with just the Shoulders supported because this leads to hyper extension of the Anterior Deltoids and stress on the lower back.
Just recently, I corrected a client on their Barbell Pullover technique and after a few CORRECT Reps in the CORRECT bench position her Latissimus Dorsi was screaming from the pump.
Many people will likely disagree with this blog, which I fully anticipate, but the facts are undeniable.
