Bent Arm Barbell Pullover

In SetGrip: Barbell Pullover (Bent Arm)

Secondary muscles
Triceps, Pectorals
Body part
Back
Position
Lying
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Bending the elbows shortens the lever, and that single change lets you pull meaningfully more weight through the arc than the straight-arm barbell version tolerates. The bar can also travel a touch deeper behind the head before the shoulders run out of room, which is why heavier lat-focused pullover work usually happens bent-arm.

How to do the Bent Arm Barbell Pullover

  1. Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet on the floor.
  2. Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and extend your arms straight above your chest.
  3. Lower the barbell behind your head while keeping your arms slightly bent.
  4. Pause for a moment, then raise the barbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Breathe in deeply as you lower and let the ribcage expand before pulling back over.

Muscles worked

Primary

Lats · Back

The lats pull the arms from overhead back toward the body and get a long stretch at the bottom, especially on bent arm and decline variations.

Secondary

  • Triceps — The long head of the triceps stretches at the bottom and helps hold the elbow angle on bent arm pullovers.
  • Pectorals — The pecs assist from the stretched position and do more of the work on straight arm variations with the arms wide.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows bending as you lower — set the elbow angle at the start and keep it fixed, otherwise the triceps take over.
  • Arching to get lower — let the shoulders open and the ribs stay down; the stretch should come from the lats and chest, not the spine.
  • Pulling too far over — stop when the arms are vertical over the chest, since past that the tension is gone.
  • Rushing the stretch — lower slowly over three seconds and pause at the bottom before pulling back.

Where it fits in a workout

Pullovers go late in a chest or back session as an isolation movement. Superset them with chest flies or a straight arm pulldown.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without barbell

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.