Home / Exercises / Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover
Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover animation

How to do the Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover

ChestDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell straight arm pullover is a rare movement that stretches and loads the chest through a long arc, building the kind of deep pectoral thickness that pressing alone cannot deliver. Master the mechanics here and you will unlock a training stimulus most lifters never experience.

Add this to my personalized plan →

Muscles worked

Primary
Pectorals (chest)
Secondary
Front deltsTriceps

Step-by-step

  1. Lie perpendicular or lengthwise on a bench, hold one dumbbell with both hands under the inner plate, and extend your arms directly above your chest with a slight elbow bend locked in place.
  2. Brace your core, keep your hips level, and slowly lower the dumbbell back behind your head in a wide arc until you feel a full stretch through your chest and lats.
  3. Pause for one count at the bottom without letting your lower back arch excessively or your elbows flare outward.
  4. Drive the dumbbell back up along the same arc by initiating with your chest, finishing with the weight directly above your sternum.

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows as the weight gets heavy, which shifts the load to the triceps and robs the chest of tension — lock a slight bend in at the start and maintain it throughout the entire rep.
  • Rushing through the eccentric and skipping the stretch at the bottom, which eliminates the primary advantage of this exercise — lower the dumbbell deliberately over two to three seconds.
  • Allowing the hips to rise or the lower back to hyperextend during the descent, which stresses the lumbar spine — keep your feet flat, core braced, and hips heavy throughout.

Pro tip — Focus on pulling through the chest by imagining you are hugging a barrel rather than simply moving the dumbbell — this internal cue shifts activation away from the lats and keeps the pectorals as the primary driver of the movement.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 6–10 reps
Get stronger4–5 sets × 3–6 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 10–12 reps

Rest: 2–3 min between sets (60–90s on lighter days).

More Chest exercises

Barbell Bench PressBarbell Bench PressBarbell Decline Bench PressBarbell Decline Bench PressBarbell Decline Wide Grip PressBarbell Decline Wide Grip PressBarbell Front Raise And PulloverBarbell Front Raise And PulloverBarbell Incline Bench PressBarbell Incline Bench PressCable Bench PressCable Bench Press
Want this built into a full plan?2fit4u turns moves like this into your personalized weekly program — free to start.
Build my free plan →