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However, as it works the lats, it also improves the muscles required during pull-ups and deadlifts. If you’re doing a “chest day” resistance training session, working your chest and triceps with moves like push-ups and the bench press, the dumbbell pullover fits naturally here. You can even perform the movement without a weight, or use one of the best resistance bands. Instead, keep things light and use them as accessory work. To assist in keeping the spine neutral or flat, you can try lifting the feet close under your hips with the knees bent.ĭon’t go too heavy with the dumbbell pullover, as it could be easy to injure yourself by wrenching your shoulders back. It’s important to keep the whole spine pressed into the bench or floor throughout the entire exercise, in order to make sure the only muscles that are working are the ones meant to work: namely your chest, lats, and delts. The small step will stop you from overreaching the shoulder into flexion, beyond what you are capable of.” Common dumbbell pullover mistakesĪ common mistake, according to Searle, is not keeping your spine in a flat position against the bench or floor, known as “ribcage flare” as your back arches as you stretch the dumbbell backward. “My best piece of safety advice is to either first conduct the exercise on the floor, or if you are using a bench, place a small step underneath where the dumbbell would be lowering down. The highest amount of force during the exercise will be produced at the end of our shoulder’s range of motion, to avoid any unnecessary strain we should practice the movement with a weight we can comfortably lift until we feel confident to attempt something heavier to maximize our results. “I would recommend ensuring you are fully warmed up first.
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#Dumbbell pullover floor how to
We spoke to Oscar Searle, a trainer at Ponzu Fit with a degree in Strength and Conditioning Science, to hear his take on this upper body exercise: “The dumbbell pullover is a great exercise for building muscle and improving strength at the end of our shoulder’s range of motion.” Continue reading to find out more tips from Searle and how to do a dumbbell pullover. This weighted move will predominantly target your chest and back muscles and is where you should see the most noticeable results but dumbbell pullovers also engage your shoulders, arms, and abs. If you are using the floor it’s a good idea to place something padded underneath you for support, like a thick blanket or one of the best yoga mats.ĭumbbell pullovers are a compound exercise, meaning you are able to work multiple muscle groups at once, so they are super useful when you want to train your upper body but are short on time. Alternatively, if you prefer to work out at home, you can do so with some of the best adjustable dumbbells, these weights allow you to amend the load mid-workout, and you can simply swap out the bench for the floor.
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