Upper body exercises: Straight arm pullover

Upper body exercise: The straight arm pullover

Muscles involved: Pectoralis major and minor, latissimus dorsi, deltoid, rotator cuff group, subscapularis.
Benefits: The pullover exercise is very good for improving the strength of most of the muscles in the upper body through a full range of motion, thus also boosting the mobility and strength of the shoulder muscle. It is an excellent complement to the more popular bench press and lat pull down exercises. A dumbbell (DB) is specified for use with this exercise, although it can also be done with a barbell.
Who should do it?: I have found this exercise particularly useful for runners with tight shoulders and rounded upper backs. It is also specific to any overhead movement, such as javelin throw, tennis serve, badminton shot, rugby hooker’s throw-in and football throw-in.

Start position (below)

• Grasp the DB close to your body and lie down carefully on your back on a bench;
• Bend your knees so that your back is comfortable and in a ‘neutral’ position – neither arched nor flat;
• Hold the DB as shown, with one fist next to the other;
• Straighten your arms and raise the DB directly above your chest.

Lowering movement (above)

• Slowly take the DB back over your head, breathing in and keeping arms straight;
• If your back starts to arch as the arms go back, use your abdominal muscles to maintain the neutral lumbar spine position. (This exercise can boost your core stability as well as your arm strength);
• If your back starts to arch a lot or you feel the stretch in the shoulders, stop. Be careful not to stretch your shoulders too far with a large weight, as you could strain them;
• Taken to the correct range of stretch, the weight will improve flexibility in your upper spine and shoulders. You will feel your chest pointing up and your upper back arching a little, while your lower back remains in neutral.

Pull movement

• Keeping elbows straight, pull the DB back over your head to the start position;
• Focus on keeping shoulders wide as you pull, and avoid hunching up;
• Breathe out once the DB has returned to the top;
• As before, use your abs to control your back position throughout the pull movement. Only your arms should move during this exercise.

Training tips

Perform 2-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions for strength endurance and muscle hypertrophy. Build up slowly before attempting heavier weights for maximum strength because of the large range of motion of the shoulder used during the movement.

Warning

The author and PP take no responsibility for injuries caused by attempting this exercise. PP recommends that you always learn new exercises under the guidance of a professional.
Raphael Brandon
Illustrations by Viv Mullett