WhatвЂ™s interesting about it is originally, it was used more as a breathing exercise than one to build muscle. The dumbbell pullover has been around since the early 1900s. Making small tweaks to the movement can also bring more focus to the lats if desired.Д«efore we go over the steps for proper form, letвЂ™s look back in time at the history of the dumbbell pullover. Dumbbell pullovers work both the front and back of the upper body to help balance it out. ItвЂ™s easier to check form and see the changes going on, to adjust as needed for uniformity. ItвЂ™s not uncommon for men to train the front of their torso more than the back.

Better Upper Body Balance: Weight lifting can lead to imbalances throughout the body.

This builds respiratory strength, with the lats and pecs aiding as respiratory accessory muscles.

Improved heart and lung function: We discuss this benefit more in the next section, but the dumbbell pullover has shown to improve chest expansion.

When included with other exercises in a HIIT-style training, dumbbell pullovers have proven effective at strengthening the core muscles.

Core stability: A strong core has many benefits, including better posterior.

Other than building the chest and lat muscles, what other benefits can be found with dumbbell pullovers? Certain variations will also activate the core muscle, as will using heavier dumbbells. The dumbbell pullover can be modified or adjusted to hit the muscles at different angles. Stabilizers include the triceps brachii, clavicular head of the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid. The posterior deltoid, pectoralis minor, rhomboids and long head of the triceps also work as synergists for this exercise. So while both benefit, the dumbbell pullover is better for developing the chest. It turns out they activated the pecs more than the lats.

In the study, researchers used an EMG machine to see which muscle worked harder.

Dumbbell pullover back