#Back cable pullover how to
#Back cable pullover full

Some other muscles and muscle groups will be involved as well, but lat activation is the main goal here. Muscles Worked in Dumbbell Lat Pulloversįrom our perspective, this is a great back exercise and that should be the focus. Even if you have great shoulder mobility already, repeatedly moving the weight that low over your head will test their resilience and pose a greater injury risk. It doesn’t need to go lower than your torso. Finally and most importantly from an injury perspective, don’t bring the weight too far back. You’ll feel that stretch near your obliques and also in your upper back - at the furthest point of the pullover, you should find that you can’t move the weight back any further. Keep in mind that the point of this hip drop is to stretch the entirety of the latissimus dorsi. Your lower back will move as you drop the hips but focus on hinging at the hip joint rather than curving your lower back. Also, remember to lead with them rather than your hands.Īpart from the elbows, mastering the hip drop is vital for getting the back workout you want from this exercise. Resist this and keep them in place relative to the sides of your torso. Pulling the weight back to the starting position will make your elbows want to flare out to accommodate the motion. That’s a great way to guarantee the lats are powering the move instead of the pecs. Don’t lock them out at any point and make sure they’re the ones leading the pull on the dumbbell. We can’t stress this enough: your elbows are going to make or break your lat pullover technique. Continue for 8 - 12 total reps depending on how many you’re capable of doing. There’s no more tension on your muscles once the dumbbell is above the center of your chest, or right about where your arms are straight and perpendicular to your torso. Don’t bring the weight any further forward than it was when you started.Reverse the motion to get back to the starting position, taking care to lead with your elbows and bring them in toward the body’s midline rather than out like your body will naturally want to do.

#Back cable pullover full

This produces a full stretch of the latissimus dorsi, which runs down your ribs as well as across your back. Simultaneously with the dumbbell motion, sink your hips toward the ground.Slowly move the weight backward toward your head while also lowering it so that it ends up near the top of your head.

#Back cable pullover how to

Here’s how to complete one lat pullover repetition: Pay attention to your elbows and concentrate on lifting the weight with your lats rather than your chest, shoulders, or arms. Don’t lock out your elbows this will cause unnecessary strain on the joint.

Grab a dumbbell by the weight at one side and hold it above your chest with your palms facing the ceiling and your arms straight.

In fact, doing so will make the chest muscles the target rather than your lats. You don’t need to have your torso in a straight horizontal line. Your shoulder blades should be on the bench, everything below them off.

Move your butt off the bench, supporting your lower body with your feet.

Sit on the flat bench with your feet on the floor to either side.

Get it wrong and you won’t get the full effect on your lats.įollow these steps to get into the starting position for a lat pullover:

The starting position is a sticking point for those who use the dumbbell lat pullover in their workout. While there are pullover variations that feature barbells, cable machines, and resistance bands, we’re sticking to the classic version for now. Read through this guide to the lat pulldown to find out how it’s done, how it works your muscles, and how you can program it in your next back day routine.

But the ease of committing form errors and confusion about the way it works the muscles it targets keeps many people from adding it to their workout. Lat pullovers are making a comeback! Also called dumbbell pullovers, they’re a surprisingly versatile back and chest exercise.