Barbell Pullover
Skip the guesswork: Barbell Pullover leans on heavy bilateral barbell loading for control through the whole range.
How to do Barbell Pullover
- Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet on the floor.
- Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and extend your arms straight above your chest.
- Keeping your arms straight, lower the barbell behind your head in a controlled manner until you feel a stretch in your lats.
- Pause for a moment, then raise the barbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Pullover Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Common Barbell Pullover Mistakes
Loading the bar unevenly or skipping the collars
Match the plates side to side and clip collars on every set.
Letting a nearby joint take over as the set gets hard
Stop the set as soon as the working joint stops leading the movement.
Letting the last set decay into a different exercise
End the set when the pattern changes, not when the reps run out.
Easier and Harder Than Barbell Pullover
Swap Barbell Pullover For
Barbell Pullover — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Barbell Pullover?
Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet on the floor. Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and extend your arms straight above your chest. Keeping your arms straight, lower the barbell behind your head in a controlled manner until you feel a stretch in your lats. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Barbell Pullover work?
The Barbell Pullover primarily targets the lats. It is classified as a back exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Barbell Pullover should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Barbell Pullover good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic back patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Barbell Pullover?
Try the Cable Straight Arm Pulldown, Band Close-grip Pulldown or the Medicine Ball Catch And Overhead Throw. Each trains the lats with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
