The Barbell Pullover is a intermediate-friendly barbell strength exercise that targets the lats and middle back. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesLats, Middle Back
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentBarbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Barbell Pullover
Lie back on a flat bench with your head supported and feet planted flat on the floor.
Hold a barbell over your chest with a shoulder-width grip and a slight bend in the elbows.
Brace your core and pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench.
Lower the bar slowly in an arc behind your head until you feel a deep stretch in the lats.
Pause briefly at the bottom, keeping the elbow angle locked, then pull the bar back over the chest.
Stop the bar above the chest line and reset before the next controlled rep.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds lats through a deep loaded stretch most pulls miss.
Adds chest and serratus involvement as a secondary benefit.
Reinforces overhead shoulder mobility under controlled load.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bending and straightening the elbows mid-rep, which turns the lift into a triceps extension.
Lowering the bar too fast, which strains the front shoulders without loading the lats.
Lifting the lower back off the bench, which removes tension from the lats and stresses the spine.
Using too much weight, which forces the elbows to collapse and breaks the overhead arc.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Barbell Pullover, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
