Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

How to do the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

1. Lie on a flat bench with a barbell using a shoulder grip width.
2. Hold the bar straight over your chest with a bend in your arms. This will be your starting position.
3. While keeping your arms in the bent arm position, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head while breathing in until you feel a stretch on the chest.
4. At that point, bring the barbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered and exhale as you perform this movement.
5. Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	lats
Secondary	chest, lats, shoulders, triceps
Equipment	barbell
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No barbell? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

V-Bar Pullup Bodyweight Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up Bodyweight Chin-Up Bodyweight Pullups Bodyweight Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown Cable Machine

Easier than the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown beginner · Cable Machine Underhand Cable Pulldowns beginner · Cable Machine V-Bar Pullup beginner · Bodyweight

Superset the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover with

Opposing chest and shoulders work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Barbell Guillotine Bench Press chest Barbell Shoulder Press shoulders Clean and Press shoulders Landmine Linear Jammer shoulders

Common questions

What muscles does the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover work?

The Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover primarily works the lats, with the chest, lats, shoulders, and triceps as secondary movers. Kipping Muscle Up, Muscle Up, and Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown train the same muscle, across 6 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover?

A Barbell. Without a barbell, V-Bar Pullup, Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up, and Chin-Up train the same muscle, and 8 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown, Underhand Cable Pulldowns, and V-Bar Pullup and work up.

Where should the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover go in a workout?

Early — the Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover is compound, working 5 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Barbell Guillotine Bench Press and Barbell Shoulder Press later.

Similar exercises

Kipping Muscle Up Other Equipment Muscle Up Other Equipment Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns Other Equipment Rope Climb Other Equipment