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There are two variations of the pullover exercise: the straight-arm
pullover and the bent-arm pullover. In the straight-arm pullover
the arms remain straight through the execution phase. This
version is best suited for a greater range of motion and for
more stretching and expansion of the chest. Also, it is done
with relatively light weights. Because of these factors, this
variant of the pullover is used most often as a general developmental
exercise.
In the bent-arm version, the elbows remain flexed, which allows
for the use of very heavy weights. Thus, this variant is used
most often by bodybuilders seeking to develop greater strength
and muscle mass. It is a main bodybuilding exercise to develop
the lower pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and teres major
muscles.
CORRECT EXECUTION:
Lie on your back on an exercise bench. Your body should he
well balanced with the head, trunk and pelvic girdle on the
bench and feet on the floor. The body should be positioned
so that the forearms clear the end of the bench when the upper
arms arc overhead (when the weights are down and back). Hold
a weighted barbell or dumbbell directly above the upper chest
on bent arms with the hands hip width or less apart, gripping
the bar. Your elbows should point to the sides toward your
feet.
Keep your elbows flexed and slowly bring the bar backward
over the head and down until the upper arms are in line with
your trunk. A slightly lower position can be attained if you
have the needed shoulder joint flexibility. At the lowest
position your forearms should be vertical and your elbows
pointed to the rear.
The exercise begins from this position. Keep the elbows flexed
90 degrees or less (measured from the inner side of the forearm
and upper arm) and slowly raise the barbell or dumbbell to
a position where the upper arm is perpendicular to the bench.
Concentrate on pulling from the shoulders without using elbow
joint flexion. Inhale as you lower the weights and hold your
breath as you lift the barbell (or dumbbell). Exhale forcefully
as you reach the end position.
INCORRECT EXECUTION:
• Keeping your arms straight when using heavy weights.
If you do this, tremendous stress is placed on the elbow joints
and can cause injury. In addition, there can be a tendency
to overstretch the shoulder joints, which can bring out slight
tears in the muscles or tendons involved.
• Excessively arching your back during the descent and
early part of the lift. When this happens there’s too
much stress placed on the lumbar spine. There can be squeezing
of the posterior portion of the discs, which can pinch the
nerves and cause pain. If continued over time it can damage
the discs.
• Bringing the weight all the way up and over so that
it rests on your lower chest or abdomen. This action is controlled
by the eccentric contraction of the antagonist muscles and
does not involve the lower pectorals, lats or teres major.
Also, it places great strain on the smaller shoulder joint
flexors when you raise the weights off the body when you use
heavy weights and can cause injury.
• Using a wide grip. If you do this the action in the
shoulder joint changes to medial shoulder joint rotation,
which also involves some of the rotator cuff muscles. They
are relatively small and when a great stress is placed on
them, they will tear. This type of injury has ended many careers.
• Executing elbow joint extension instead of shoulder
joint extension. This does not allow for a full range of motion
in the shoulder joint and limits the action of the muscles
involved.
• Exhaling on the down or up portions of the lift. This
does not allow for proper stabilization of the chest and can
interfere with the muscle pull. When heavy weights are used,
incorrect breathing can lead to injury. In fact, early exhalation
during the early part of the pullover can make the lift impossible
and can even be dangerous.
• Lowering the weight too low when you have insufficient
flexibility in the shoulder joints. This can lead to over-stretching
and tears in the muscles and tendons and even the ligaments
if the overstretch is great enough.
• Using a heavy barbell with a very narrow grip. When
you do this it is very difficult to keep the barbell balanced
and chances are that the barbell will tip and drop. This may
cause an injury
COMMENTS:
1) When first beginning this exercise it
is important to keep the lower spine in its natural, slightly
hyperextended position. It should not be allowed to arch extensively,
which unbalances the basic position and can lead to injury
Excessive arching can also occur when there is insufficient
flexibility in the shoulder joints. If this is the case, you
should gradually work up to a full range of motion. Instead
of trying to lower the weight to the horizontal upper arm
position at the very beginning, lower it halfway back on the
first repetition, three-fourths of the way back on the second
repetition and so on until a full range is established.
If you have sufficient flexibility and you still hyperextend
your lumbar spine, you should do the pullover lying across
an exercise bench. Lie with your shoulders on top of the bench
and your feet on the floor. In this position you should round
your back and when you bring the weight over your head, your
spine arches just slightly — back to its normal position.
This is the preferred position for many bodybuilders. However,
if you let the pelvic girdle drop you will still be hyperextending
the spine. Thus, it is important that you raise the pelvis
slightly and maintain this position as you execute the exercise.
2) The bent-arm pullover is best suited for
using heavy weights. Because the elbow remains flexed at 90
degrees or less throughout the entire movement, a short arm
lever is maintained. And the short lever is mechanically efficient
for heavy loads. If you did this exercise with straight arms
you would not be able to handle nearly as much weight.
3) A great value of this exercise is in breathing
since there is expansion of the chest cavity when assuming
the initial position for the pull. It provides stretching
of the muscles that lift and expand the ribcage and contraction
of these muscles during the pullover phase. Thus, not only
do you develop the muscles involved, but you also develop
a larger chest.
4) A key action in this exercise is the downward
rotation of the scapula performed by the rhomboid and pectoralis
minor muscles. If the scapulae did not rotate downward during
execution, there would be great difficulty in completing the
movement and a good chance of injury as the head of the humerus
would have a tendency to come out of the joint. In other words,
for successful execution of the shoulder joint actions, the
shoulder girdle muscles must be involved to position the scapulae.
5) This exercise can be done with different
weights. You can use a single dumbbell (or kettlebetl) held
in both hands or barbell. The single dumbbell or kettlebell
is preferred since it allows for more correct execution. In
this case, the elbows and upper arms stay in the vertical
plane during the pullover and return.
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