Barbell Bent Arm Pullover

Lie flat on your back on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower the barbell over your head until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Pause briefly, then return to the starting position by contracting your chest and shoulder muscles. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

How to perform the Barbell Bent Arm Pullover

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Bent Arm Pullover using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your latissimus dorsi.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your latissimus dorsi rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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