StrengthIn review

Dumbbell Pullover

A bench pullover that moves one dumbbell behind the head and back above the chest with both hands.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern: Horizontal push
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner
Mechanic: Unknown
Force: Unknown
Laterality: Bilateral
Impact: Low
Trains where: Gym, Home
At home: Yes

How to do it

Set up

Lie lengthwise on a flat bench with the head and back supported.
Hold one dumbbell securely with both hands above the chest and keep a slight elbow bend.

Do the rep

Lower the dumbbell behind the head without lifting the ribs or changing the elbow bend.
Return the dumbbell above the chest along the same arc.

What counts as a rep

One rep lowers one dumbbell behind the head within a comfortable shoulder range and returns it above the chest with both hands and a fixed slight elbow bend.

Breathing

Breathe in as the dumbbell lowers; exhale as it returns.

Cues

Keep both hands secure on the dumbbell.
Keep the back on the bench.

Common mistakes

Extending the lower back
What you seeThe ribs lift as the dumbbell moves behind the head.
FixShorten the arc and keep the ribs down.
The shoulders should provide the arc while the trunk stays supported.

Stop the set if

Stop if you feel sharp pain.
Stop if you lose your grip or cannot control the dumbbell path.
End the set when you cannot meet the rep standard under control.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

Muscles worked

Prime movers

Chest · moderate confidence

Assisting

Front deltoids · moderate confidence
Latissimus dorsi · moderate confidence

Equipment

Dumbbell + Bench

Lie lengthwise on a flat bench with the head and back supported. Hold one dumbbell securely with both hands above the chest and keep a slight elbow bend.

In the app

You log this by hand. The camera coach does not watch this movement yet.

Tracking: Camera candidate

How this page was checked

Draft. A editorial reviewer has not signed this off yet.

Draft text is original copy for Wave 2 batch 8, written from the blueprint CSV row and the owner rules approved 2026-10-12 in #340. No human review is complete.
Technique, cues, rep standard, breathing, stop cues, and error corrections need independent sources and the assigned review tier (blueprint two-source rule).
Programming roles, skill tier, failure cost, timed use, goal fit, and equipment remain candidates; the switch-on PR must confirm them.
Anatomy uses the CSV planning hints; the assigned review tier must confirm it.
Legacy relations and engine edges stay empty until the progression ladder lane and S2-CAT-005.
Timed use and goal fit copy ex_cable_chest_fly, the closest Wave 1 record. Its review evidence does not approve this draft.
OWNER REVIEW: home yes replaces CSV home no. Dumbbell and bench are home items (rule 1), so classification and programming allow gym and home, as ex_one_arm_dumbbell_row. Wave 1 ex_dumbbell_bench_press and ex_incline_dumbbell_bench_press remain gym only; a switch-on PR can correct them.
Rule 1 sets dumbbell quantity to 1 in both equipment expressions: both hands hold one dumbbell.
Load-and-reps is the only legal prescription kind, as the CSV and ex_dumbbell_bench_press. Load is logged in kg; the band and suspension reps-only rule does not apply.
Both arms move together and count one bilateral_rep, including the kickback (rule 1).
OWNER REVIEW: retain CSV horizontal-push but use secondary_push and isolation_target, as ex_cable_chest_fly and batch 6 ex_suspension_trainer_fly (rule 2).
OWNER REVIEW: the pullover overlaps a straight-arm pulldown and could instead use secondary_pull and isolation_target. This draft retains the owner chest-isolation roles and CSV horizontal-push pattern.
Failure cost moderate: the user must control a dumbbell above the chest or face while lying down, including floor work (rule 3), as ex_dumbbell_bench_press.
Skill tier beginner: a new user can perform one clean rep in the first session with light dumbbells and the stated support (rule 3).
The draft selects lengthwise bench support rather than a cross-bench pullover. Confirm the secure two-hand grip and shoulder range before switch-on.

All instruction and editorial text in this record is original draft copy written for Allena. Planning metadata comes from the internal Wave-2 blueprint CSV.

Train it in Allena

Allena plans your week around the days you can train, logs every set, and coaches your form from the camera.

Get the app