Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover

What it is

This compound exercise effectively targets your chest, while also engaging your latissimus dorsi, shoulders, and triceps. You perform it by lying across a bench and lowering a single dumbbell behind your head in an arc. It's a great movement for building upper body strength and muscle definition.

Technique tips

• Position yourself perpendicular to the bench with only your shoulders on it.
• Keep your hips below the bench, feet flat on the floor for stability.
• Maintain a slight, consistent bend in your elbows throughout the movement.
• Lower the dumbbell slowly in an arc behind your head, feeling a chest stretch.
• Inhale as you lower the weight, then exhale as you return to the start.
• Ensure your dumbbell is secure before starting each set for safety.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.