Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

A compound chest and lat exercise performed on a bench where you pull a barbell in an arc over your head with bent arms. This movement stretches the chest and engages the back muscles.

Instructions

1. Lie on a flat bench with a barbell using a shoulder-width grip.
2. Hold the bar straight over your chest with a bend in your arms. This will be your starting position.
3. While keeping your arms in the bent arm position, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head while breathing in until you feel a stretch on the chest.
4. At that point, bring the barbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered and exhale as you perform this movement.
5. Hold the weight in the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Tips

• Keep a constant bend in your arms throughout the movement
• The movement should follow a smooth arc, not straight back
• Feel the stretch across your chest and lats at the bottom
• Control the weight throughout; do not use momentum
• This is a great exercise for chest and lat flexibility