If your elbows are out too far out you can lose control of the dumbbell and cause possible shoulder injury. Don’t Lett your elbows flare out too far when working your lats.When you perform the movement faster it will require more effort for your antagonist to slow the momentum and less work on the primary muscles.

You are not working on explosive power with dumbbell pullovers. Subsequently, jerking also takes the resistance off your muscles and will reduce the effectiveness of the pullovers. Jerking the weight will cause you to lose proper form and lead to injury. Additionally, if you try to lift your feet when using a stability ball, you will likely slide off. When you lift your feet you put the weight of your body and the dumbbell on your back. When you raise your hip you are using your body to throw the weight up and that takes the focus off your chest.

If you find you have to bend your arm to bring the dumbbell close to you, then you are using to much weight. Don’t use to much weight, a common mistake for many novice lifters is having to arch your back to pull the weight up.Other Common Errors While Performing the Dumbbell Pullover

If you only have pain when you lower the dumbbell at the bottom of the range of motion, stop before the point where you first started feeling the pain.When you feel or have any shoulder pain while performing dumbbell pullover stop.If you have any shoulder problems, you may want to avoid the dumbbell pullover altogether, until you see a doctor.Lifting your feet can lead to lower back injury or strain.Īdditional Cautions When Performing Dumbbell Pullovers Remember to keep your elbows in to work your Pectoralis Major and flare your elbows out slightly to work you Latissimus Dorsi.It is important to start with a lightweight to practice good form and control and save your skull. Stretch your shoulders before you start this exercise.Don’t pull the dumbbell forward beyond your chest.Ī Few More Tips to Maximize Exercise Effectiveness.Squeeze your hands together at the top to increase effectiveness as a chest exercise.Don’t lower the dumbbell below your head to work your chest.The three main takeaways that Jeff brings up are: Repeat the pullovers for your desired reps.Your best breathing technic is to breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.Then pull the dumbbell back up over your head to above your chest using the same path.Don’t lower the weight by bending your elbows or this will work your triceps more. Next, lower the dumbbell over your head and just past your ears towards the floor.To work your chest keep your elbows in, to work your lats push your elbows out to the side slightly. Begin with the dumbbell pressed up straight above your chest.Hold the dumbbell in your hands with your thumbs and your fingers of each hand together.You can lay across the bench like Arnold in the picture above or you can lay along the bench with your head hanging off the end. Lay with your back on a bench or exercise ball.Even though this is not technically a skull crusher, if you start with too heavy of a weight you can hurt your head. Start with a low weight at first to get your form down.

Flat bench pullover