Stronger

EZ Bar Pullover

EZ Bar Pullover demonstration

Category

compound

Difficulty

intermediate

Equipment

ez bar, bench

Force Type

pull

How to Perform the EZ Bar Pullover

  1. Lie flat on a bench with your head near the edge, feet flat on the floor, and your back and head supported.
  2. Hold an EZ bar with a narrow grip, arms extended straight above your chest.
  3. Keep a slight bend in your elbows that remains fixed throughout the entire movement.
  4. Slowly lower the bar backward in an arc over and behind your head, stretching your lats and chest.
  5. Continue lowering until you feel a deep stretch in your lats and chest, or until the bar is roughly level with your head.
  6. Pull the bar back up in the same arc to the starting position above your chest, squeezing your lats.
  7. Keep your core braced and avoid arching your lower back excessively during the movement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Bending and extending the elbows, turning it into a skullcrusher

Maintain a fixed elbow angle throughout. The movement should come from the shoulders, not the elbows.

Arching the lower back excessively as the bar goes overhead

Brace your core and keep your ribcage pulled down. Some arch is natural, but excessive arching shifts work off the target muscles.

Using too heavy a weight and reducing range of motion

Use a moderate weight that allows a full stretch behind the head. This exercise is about the stretch, not the load.

Muscles Worked

Benefits

  • Provides a deep stretch on both the lats and chest in a single movement.
  • Improves shoulder mobility and overhead range of motion.
  • Engages multiple upper body muscles simultaneously for efficient training.

Pro Tips

  • Focus on feeling the stretch in your lats at the bottom of the movement for maximum muscle engagement.
  • Breathe in deeply as the bar goes behind your head and exhale as you pull it back up.
  • The EZ bar grip is more comfortable on the wrists than a straight bar for this exercise.

Recommended Sets & Reps

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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