Are pullovers a good assistance exercise to increase your bench press? Has anyone tried using pullovers to help their bench press? If so let me know how your results went.
hey philtwine
I found that pullovers were pretty good post fatigue exercises for the Lat major and other muscles involved in an shoulder extension. AS for the chest, you’re better off with isolation exercises such as flyes and so on. So Pullovers would better fit in your back routine than in your chest’s.
p.s. I’ve got retard strenght!!
Ask Arnold. He knows how to EXPAND your ribcage for more muscle.
jk, jk.
Seriously though, I’ve never done pullovers for chest. I’ve always focused on my back when I’m doing pullovers. Sorry bro, can’t help ya.
Sure.
They’re not the first thing that comes to mind, but as a strengthening movement for lats in an ancillary role, why not.
DI
I’ve used them, but only as a supplemental exercise. They have never been a staple in my chest routines. You want to stick to exercises that allow you to use maximal weights which will elicit more muscle growth, such as bench press, incline press, decline press. Use those exercises as the “backbone” of your chest routine and you will be good to go. I will usually alternate between barbell presses and dumbbell presses from to time for a change of pace. Pullovers don’t allow you to use MAXIMAL weight, so that is why I only use it as a supplemental exercise and just use it occasionally.
Regardless, even if you do in fact only stick to the pressing movements…there are a plethora of things you can do…drop sets, rest/pause sets, max effort days, dynamic days, etc etc.
One thought too is that you can consider limited range (i.e., move the dumbbell only about 8 inches from the start position) pullovers to hit your pec minor. Full pullovers will likely have little influence in your pecs.
I’ve only used them as a back exercize. I think it really helps to widen your back & give you that V-Taper.
You use a much closer grip to make it a chest exercize, right?
A closer grip if brought through the full range will still stimulate the back. Use limited range to stimulate the pec minor (i.e., upper chest). This may not help your bench much though.