Strengthen Shoulders with Shoulder Pullover

Shoulder Pullover

Rep Range

Hypertrophy/Strength : 8-12||Endurance/Hypertrophy : 12-16

Hints

Lay down flat on the floor with your legs extended straight out. Hold the dumbbells at your sides, near the floor, with palms facing downwards. Keeping your arms straight and close together, slowly raise the dumbbells over your body and towards the floor above your head. As the dumbbells near the floor above your head, your palms should naturally rotate to face the ceiling. The range of motion might be limited compared to using a bench, but you'll still get a good stretch in the chest and lats. To reverse, use the chest and lats to lift the dumbbells back to the starting position, over your chest.

Common Mistakes

Avoid bending the elbows too much; the arms should be kept fairly straight, but not locked, to maintain focus on the targeted muscles. Be sure to use a controlled movement, preventing the weights from dropping quickly or using momentum. Ensure to engage the core muscles to support the movement and protect the lower back.

Breathing

Inhale while lowering the dumbbells over and beyond your head. Exhale as you bring them back to the starting position at your sides. When executed with proper form, the Shoulder Pullover on the floor is an effective exercise to target the chest, lats, and triceps from a unique angle. This variation provides stability due to the floor support but might limit the range of motion compared to performing the exercise on a bench.

Muscle Focus

Primary Muscles

Front Shoulders, Latissimus Dorsi

Secondary Muscles

Rhomboids, Rear Shoulders, Teres Major, Teres Minor, Infraspinatus, Chest, Traps

Tertiary Muscles

Middle Shoulders, Triceps