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Pullover Stiff-arm Or Straight-arm

PULLOVER — STIFF-ARM OR STRAIGHT-ARM

Taken from Dave Draper's book, Brother Iron, Sister Steel

Performed with a barbell or a dumbbell, it’s a feel-good power stretch that engages the lats, the underside of the bis and tris and minor pec as it puts the rotator cuff through its ranges. Longitudinal abdominal muscles come into play to stabilize the torso. Did I mention they build the serratus like the mason builds walls of stone?

If you like supersetting, a stiff-arm pullover between sets is gratifying and productive. A moderate-plus weight allows you to stretch, revives the muscle cells and adds immensely to upper latisimus building. Keep the secondary pullovers at eight to ten reps.

Lie on your back, head on one end of the bench, feet on the other end and a dumbbell or barbell grasped in your hands straight overhead — your starting position. Take a deep breath as you slowly lower the weight behind your head with stiff arms (elbows near locked). When your arms are in line with your torso — parallel to the floor — reverse the motion and return to the starting position, exhaling as you do. Pause momentarily and repeat. It’s a great stretch, great lat pump, great relief movement that promotes posture awareness. Lots of blood circulating oxygen and nutrients to wake up, stimulate, revive and refresh.

And now let's discuss this.

• First, which is preferred, stiff arm or bent arm pullovers? Cross bench or along the bench?

• Next, here's a longer version of archived pullover posts, both bent and stiff-arm.

• This thread covers pullovers with the 20-rep squat program.

• Some may remember doing pullovers on a moon bench.

A what? A moon bench:

Here, let Wicked tell you how to build a moon bench and what to do with it once you have one in your garage.