Pullover
A machine pullover: seated with your upper arms against the pads, you pull your elbows from overhead down in an arc to your stomach, working your lats with help from your chest and triceps.
- Primary muscles
- Lats
- Secondary
- Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest, Triceps
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
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Why do it
Because the pads push on your upper arms instead of your hands, your grip and biceps barely work, leaving the lats to do the job through a long range. The machine keeps tension through the whole arc, unlike a dumbbell pullover, which goes light when the weight is over your chest. It's a good fit before pull-ups to get your lats working, or after them for extra volume without tiring your grip.
How to do it
Sit in the pullover machine, set the seat so your shoulders line up with the pivot and rest your upper arms on the pads.
Start with your arms overhead and your lats stretched.
Pull your elbows down in an arc until the pads reach your stomach, driving with your lats.
Return slowly to the stretched position. Keep your lower back against the seat and let the arms, not the hips, do the moving.
Common mistakes
Skipping the seat setup
If your shoulders don't line up with the pivot, the arc feels awkward and you lose range. Adjust the seat before your first set.
Arching off the seat
Lifting your lower back off the seat lets your hips help finish the rep. Keep your back against the seat and move only your arms.
Pushing with your hands
Gripping the bar hard and pressing with your hands brings your triceps in more. Think of driving your elbows down into the pads.
Cutting the stretch short
Let the pads travel all the way back overhead until your lats stretch. Short reps skip the part this machine is good at.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
