BUILD BIGGER PECS WITH THE PULLOVER

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

Grow a futuristic chest with this forgotten move from the Golden Era.

Of the dumbbell pullover, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been quoted as saying, “You will not believe the ache in the sternum that this movement will produce! It literally forces your chest apart and forces it into new growth.” Strong words from the owner one of the most famously built chests of all-time.

The pullover was a favorite move of some of the greatest athletes of the Golden Era of bodybuilding including The Oak, Reg Park and Franco Columbu. This exercise works not only the chest but also the lats, intercostals and serratus anterior (the muscles of the ribcage). Maximally developed intercostal muscles will give the illusion of a bigger rib cage when taking a deep breath or holding a pose because the ribs are pulled up by the intercostal muscles. Modern chests seem to be lagging behind those of the classic physiques that put this move to use on a weekly basis.

SCIENCE SPEAKS

Some debate exists as to whether or not the pullover is a chest or a back move. For the answer, you can look to the research. A 2011 study entitled “Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG” published in theJournal of Applied Biomechanics compared the EMG activity of pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles during the barbell pullover exercise, using eight healthy males as subjects.

The EMG activity of the pectoralis major and that of the latissimus dorsi of the right side were measured simultaneously during the pullover exercise during both the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement. The results demonstrated that the barbell pullover exercise emphasized the pectoralis major more than that of the latissimus dorsi.

Strength Coach Bret Contreras gave his two cents on the study saying, “I think the pecs are in a better position to actually move the weights, but down in the bottom position, the lats get a good stretch under load. The problem is that the torque diminishes as the movement rises, so tension dissipates of the lats rather quickly.”