#Bent arm dumbell pullover free#

(1) However, they didn't investigate any further into the range of motion. So, what are the moment arms of the lats and pecs during the pullover? We don't have good data on that.Ī study using a single cadaver showed a small (<5mm) extension moment arms for the iliac part and lumbar vertebral part of latissimus dorsi at 120-degrees of flexion and zero moment arm for the thoracic vertebral part of the lats. The latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major are multi-joint muscles with multiple parts. multiple origins) are particularly challenging. Multi-joint muscles and muscles with multiple parts (i.e. There are several methods for calculating muscle moment arms using cadavers, imaging, and computer models. The muscle inserts on the greater tubercle of the humerus (lateral upper arm). The pectoralis major originates on the collar bone, the sternum, and the ribs.

It ultimately crosses the glenohumeral joint (ball and socket of the shoulder) before inserting at the intertubercular groove (anterior upper arm). The latissimus dorsi originates in many places: the posterior iliac crest, the lower thoracic vertebrae, the lumbar vertebrae, the lower ribs, and the scapula. To make valid conclusions about an exercise, basic anatomy is a good place to start. It's tempting, but incorrect, to infer force from technologies such as surface EMG. It's not possible to directly measure muscle force from a single muscle during exercise. Even the thickness of a muscle due to hypertrophy can affect moment arms. Special techniques are required to measure muscle moment arms. (8) This is why we can't simply reference the textbook action of a muscle and call it a day. Muscle moment arms change during a movement as muscles bend and wrap around bone. Muscle actions seem straightforward, but actual application of these principles to predict the effectiveness of an exercise for training a given muscle is much more complex. This is basic physics: Torque = Force x Distance. A muscle's effectiveness for producing a given action is the muscle 'moment,' which is determined by the product of muscle moment arm (distance between the muscle's line of action and the center of joint) and muscle force (end-to-end pull).It crosses behind the joint– when this muscle shortens, it pulls the shoulder into extension. A shoulder extensor has a line of action behind the center of the shoulder. The action of a muscle describes how it tends to move a joint when it shortens (concentric contraction).First, we need a solid framework to understand a muscle's effectiveness for a given action, such as shoulder extension. To address the pecs versus lats question, we must make educated interpretations based on anatomy and muscle physiology. The pullover is performed overhead, toward end-range shoulder flexion (around 100-180 degrees). Textbooks provide muscle actions from the anatomical arms-at-sides position. Well, if you look up 'shoulder extension' in an anatomy textbook, it'll be listed as an action of the latissimus dorsi, not the pectoralis major. So which muscles are contributing the most during the shoulder extension: pecs or lats? The pullover is a resisted shoulder extension.

Therefore, my bias is to include pullovers with the rest of my pulling movements during back training. Performing pullovers with back training has never interfered with my subsequent push session. However, I feel it trains the back more robustly, applying a much greater mechanical stimulus on the lats than the chest. Though we'll discuss it in depth, research is inconclusive about whether pullovers are best for pectoralis major (chest) or latissimus dorsi (back). Let's go over the standard variations, dig into some research, discuss the variations you can do for stiff shoulders, and then get into the modifications that'll improve the resistance profile so you can make more gains.

#Bent arm dumbell pullover free#

This means the resistance profile of the pullover has an extremely steep descending curve when you do it with free weights. If you haven't done it in a while, here's a reminder: The toughest part occurs when the arms are flexed overhead, and it gets much easier when your arms are perpendicular to your torso.

Seasoned lifters have long known about this exercise, but these days, it's rare to see someone do it.īut is a back or a chest exercise? Should you include it with upper-body pulling work or upper-body pushing? Even practitioners squabble about it. You might remember golden era bodybuilders doing the pullover, their bodies arching across benches, lats flared wide, pumping out reps.