Barbell Pullover

1. Lie on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor and your head supported near the end of the bench.
2. Hold a barbell or EZ bar with an overhand grip about shoulder width apart, arms extended above your chest.
3. Set a slight bend in your elbows and keep it constant for the whole set.
4. Inhale and lower the bar backward in a smooth arc over your face and head until you feel a deep stretch in the lats.
5. Keep your core braced so your lower back does not peel off the bench.
6. Exhale and drag the bar back through the same arc until it is above your chest, focusing on pulling with the lats.
7. Pause briefly over the chest, then begin the next rep without bouncing at either end.

Common Mistakes

• Flaring the ribs for extra range: extending the lower back as the bar travels overhead feels like a bigger stretch but just shifts stress to the spine; keep the ribs pinned down.
• Changing the elbow angle: pressing the bar up by extending the elbows recruits the triceps instead of the lats; the arc should come entirely from the shoulders.
• Starting too heavy: the stretched overhead position is vulnerable, and a bar you cannot control there can travel toward your face; build load gradually.
• Rushing the eccentric: dropping the bar quickly behind the head skips the loaded stretch, which is the most productive part of the rep.