How to do a Dumbbell Pull Over
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Pull Over
Instructions for Proper Form
Dumbbell Pull Over primarily targets your chest, back, shoulders, and triceps at different points throughout the movement. By positioning your shoulder blades on a flat bench, you help to increase your range of motion. This helps improve muscle activation.
- Grasp the head of a dumbbell in a diamond grip.
- Lie back on a flat bench, supporting your upper back and resting the dumbbell on your chest.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart.
- Position the dumbbell over your head, keeping your arms perpendicular to the ground and your palms facing up.
- Lower the dumbbell in an arc over your head until your arms are parallel to the ground, keeping them straight with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Return the dumbbell to your starting position by engaging your chest, back and shoulders to reverse the motion.
Common Form Mistakes
Limit Range of Motion
Keep your range of motion limited to where you feel tension in your chest. Going too far backwards can lead to over recruiting your lats. Going too far forward will allow you to balance the weight, and reduces the need to keep your chest engaged.
Arms Straight
Allowing your elbows to bend can cause this exercise to over recruit your triceps. You want to keep your arms straight with a slight bend in your elbow. Maintain that throughout the exercise.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Dumbbell Pull Over standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps17.5lbs1 Rep Max22.5lbs
- intermediate8reps22.5lbs30lbs
- advanced8reps30lbs40lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Pull Over
1. Machine Bench Press
93.5 mSCORESWAPPED 19 TIMESMachine Bench Press is a compound exercise the primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion which can be a great way to learn the movement, or to focus your effort on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Bench Press Machine
2. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 18 TIMESDumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
3. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 15 TIMESCable Crossover Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest. It’s a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly, and can easily be adapted to further isolate specific areas of the chest. Using cables to add resistance allows you to keep more consistent tension on your chest, as well as control the angle that the resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Cable Crossover
4. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESDumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
5. Straight-Arm Pulldown
81.4 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESThis is an isolation exercise that primarily targets your back. Pulling the bar down in an arc with your arms straight helps to remove muscle groups like biceps from the movement, and allows you to focus your attention on your back. You can further adjust where in your back you’re targeting by moving your hands closer to the ends of the bar.
- Beginner
- Back
- Lat Pulldown
6. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 12 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
7. Dumbbell Incline Fly
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMESDumbbell Incline Fly emphasizes the upper chest, improving muscle definition and shoulder flexibility. Performed on an incline, it targets the upper pectorals while also engaging deltoids and triceps, offering a comprehensive upper body workout that enhances strength and aesthetics.
8. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 10 TIMESMachine Fly is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly. This isolation chest exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the shoulders. The use of a machine makes the exercise more stable allowing you to focus on exertion or learn the movement with minimal risk of injury. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to learn the movement, or advanced lifters looking to push this movement to it’s limit.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Fly Machine
9. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 10 TIMESSimilar to other Bench Press variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Unlike many other variations, some of the tension from this exercise is caused by pressing two dumbbells together rather than simply relying on the weight of those dumbbells. This helps maintain more tension in your chest throughout the movement without relying on other pieces of equipment. The positioning of the dumbbells can also take some tension out of your shoulders, and helps to further isolate your chest.
10. Push Up
94.5 mSCORESWAPPED 8 TIMESPush Ups may be the most recognizable exercises out there. It’s one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, and is a great way to develop functional strength in your upper body for pushing movements. It’s fantastic for beginners, or anyone with limited equipment, while still being a great addition for even the most seasoned lifters.
- Intermediate
- Chest