Dumbbell Floor Pullover
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and hold one dumbbell with both hands above your chest. With your arms slightly bent, bring it back in a wide arc behind your head until it lightly touches the floor. Then slowly bring it back over your chest.
The floor pullover is the pullover for anyone without a bench. Your arms move through a big arc at the shoulder, from above your chest to behind your head: your chest and lats work together, and your abs keep your upper body still on the floor.
The floor sets how far the dumbbell goes behind your head. All you need is one dumbbell and some space; with a bench, do the Dumbbell Pullover.
From the studio: On the floor, I have people work more slowly and do about five more reps per set than on a bench. If you plan to train this long term, I recommend getting a weight bench. It gives your training more variety. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Sit on the floor with the dumbbell, then lie back with your knees bent and feet flat. Grip the dumbbell with both hands overlapping, palms under the top plate, so it sits securely.
Extend your arms above your chest, elbows very slightly bent. Brace your abs and keep your back on the floor.
Now slowly bring the dumbbell back in a wide arc behind your head until it lightly touches the floor. From there, slowly bring it back over your chest.
The three cues
- Dumbbell secure in both hands, abs braced
- Reach back in a wide arc until the dumbbell lightly touches the floor
- Come back slowly, even slower than on a bench
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| The dumbbell drops quickly towards the floor | Lower slowly and evenly; the dumbbell only lightly touches the floor. |
| Your elbows bend a lot and it turns into a triceps extension | Keep your elbows only very slightly bent and hold that angle. The arc comes from the shoulder. |
| Your lower back lifts off the floor | Brace your abs, keep your feet flat, and keep your back down. |
| The dumbbell sits loosely in your hands | Both hands firmly under the top plate, overlapping. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Light dumbbell | Practise the arc to the floor and the slow tempo. Move on when every rep is smooth and consistent. |
| Full range to the floor | Reach back until the dumbbell lightly touches the floor, come back slowly, abs braced, back on the floor. |
| Heavier dumbbell | Once tempo and arc stay clean on every rep, add weight in small steps. |
Reps and load
Work slowly and let the dumbbell only lightly touch the floor. Choose a weight that lets you keep the slow tempo on every rep.
With a bench, do the Dumbbell Pullover instead. The exercise fits well alongside push-ups and the One Arm Dumbbell Row.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Chest M. pectoralis major | Prime mover | Pulls the arm from behind the head back over the chest |
| Lats M. latissimus dorsi | Synergist | Helps pull the arm from behind the head back over the chest |
| Triceps M. triceps brachii | Synergist | Helps bring the arm back and holds the elbow at its slight bend |
| Rear delts M. deltoideus, pars spinalis | Synergist | Support the lats in pulling the arm back over the chest |
| Front delts M. deltoideus, pars clavicularis | Stabiliser | Stabilise the shoulder joint through the arc |
| Abs M. rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | Keep the upper body still and the back on the floor as the dumbbell goes behind the head |
Your chest and lats work together, your triceps and delts help, and your abs stabilise. The floor marks the end of the arc behind your head.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the pullover on the floor for when there is no bench: the grip, the wide arc to the floor and the slow tempo. · 0:56
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Marchetti PH, Uchida MC. (2011). Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG. J Appl Biomech 27(4):380–384. DOI: 10.1123/jab.27.4.380 — Measures pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi activity in 8 men during a barbell pullover on a bench (30% of body weight, 1 × 10). The chest was more active than the lats, depending on the lever arm. The basis for the muscle table, measured on a bench, not on the floor. A very small sample, barbell, no figures in the abstract. There is no study of the floor pullover itself. There is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: EMG)
Di Fonza D, Di Claudio G, Colantuono G, Persichini L, Cerulo N, Sangregorio B, Buonsenso A, Fiorilli G, Calcagno G, di Cagno A. (2026). Electromyographic analysis of latissimus dorsi activation during common resistance training exercises: a narrative review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 11(3):315. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk11030315 — A narrative review of 23 studies on chest and lat exercises, including three on the pullover. The pullover preferentially activates the chest and is not a targeted lat exercise; the findings rest on acute EMG. The basis for listing the chest as prime mover and the lats as a synergist. (Evidence type: Narrative review)
Wolf M, Androulakis-Korakakis P, Fisher J, Schoenfeld B, Steele J. (2023). Partial vs full range of motion resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Strength Cond 3(1). DOI: 10.47206/ijsc.v3i1.182 — A Bayesian meta-analysis of full versus partial range-of-motion training. The overall difference in favour of full range was small (SMD 0.12; 95% CI −0.02 to 0.26), with no clear difference between upper and lower body; partial range is considered an effective alternative. The basis for presenting the floor pullover as a worthwhile exercise without a bench. Not listed in PubMed; wide confidence intervals in the subgroups. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Pallarés JG, Hernández-Belmonte A, Martínez-Cava A, Vetrovsky T, Steffl M, Courel-Ibáñez J. (2021). Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports 31(10):1866–1881. DOI: 10.1111/sms.14006 — A meta-analysis of 16 studies: training through the full range produced more strength (ES = 0.56) and more lower-body muscle growth (ES = 0.88) than a partial range. The basis for Andreas' recommendation to use a bench long term, where the arc goes further. Mostly lower-body studies; there are no data on the pullover itself. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn DI, Krieger JW. (2015). Effect of repetition duration during resistance training on muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med 45(4):577–585. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-015-0304-0 — A meta-analysis of 8 studies: muscle growth was similar with repetition durations from 0.5 to 8 seconds, and very slow reps over 10 seconds are probably less effective. So the slow tempo on the page is a control and technique cue. No study tests whether a slower tempo or extra reps make up for the shorter range on the floor; Andreas' approach is labelled as from the studio. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.