Is this exercise suitable for beginners?

It is an intermediate-level movement, but a beginner who can raise both arms fully overhead without the lower back arching can learn it with a light dumbbell. If your shoulders pinch or your ribs flare before your upper arms reach your ears, start with a Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown instead.

Do I need a specific type of dumbbell for this?

Any fixed dumbbell works as long as you can cup the inner side of one head with both hands. With an adjustable dumbbell, check that the collars are tight before every set, because the weight passes over your face.

How is this different from a regular dumbbell pullover?

The arm movement is the same. What sets this version apart is the setup: your hips sit at the very end of the bench with your knees bent and feet planted wide, so your feet and abs have to keep you still and stop your lower back from arching.

Does the pullover work the chest or the back?

Both. A 2026 review of the EMG research on lat exercises, drawing on a few small, mostly male studies of barbell and isometric pullovers, found the pullover tended to activate the chest more than it singled out the lats, so treat it as a combined chest and back exercise rather than a lat isolation move.

How far should I lower the dumbbell?

Lower it until your upper arms are roughly in line with your torso or until you feel a strong stretch in your lats and chest, whichever comes first. Stop sooner if your ribs flare, your lower back lifts or the front of your shoulder pinches.

Dumbbell Pullover (Bridge Position)

What Is the Dumbbell Pullover (Bridge Position)?

Dumbbell Pullover (Bridge Position) is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the back and chest and also engages the triceps, the serratus anterior and the core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which both hands carry one dumbbell in an arc from over the chest to behind the head and back while you lie along a flat bench.

This variation of the Dumbbell Pullover is set up with your head and back along the bench, your hips at its very end and your feet planted wide on the floor with the knees bent. With nothing under the hips, the planted feet and the abs keep the pelvis steady and stop the lower back from arching as the weight travels overhead.

The pullover is one of the few exercises that loads the lats and the chest through the same movement: both pull the upper arm from behind the head back over the chest. The long head of the triceps helps with that pull while the rest of the triceps holds the elbow angle, and the serratus anterior keeps the shoulder blades against the ribcage. How far you lower the dumbbell decides how much stretch the lats and chest take at the bottom.

It is usually trained as an accessory after the main pressing or pulling work of an upper body session, with a moderate dumbbell and a slow, controlled stretch rather than heavy loads. It suits lifters who can already raise their arms fully overhead without the lower back arching. If that is still difficult, build up with a Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown, which trains the same pull without taking the weight behind the head.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Pectoralis Major: Primary
Serratus Anterior: High
Teres Major: High
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): High
Deltoid: Medium
Rectus Abdominis: Medium
Rhomboid Major: Medium
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Low
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Low

Instructions

Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell standing upright on your thighs, then lie back along the bench so your head and back are supported and your hips sit at its very end.
Plant your feet flat on the floor, wider than your hips, with your knees bent about 90 degrees. Keep your hips at bench height or just below it rather than lifting them.
Cup the inner side of the top dumbbell head with both palms, thumbs wrapped around the handle, so the dumbbell hangs vertically.
Press the dumbbell up over your chest with your arms extended and a slight bend in your elbows. Brace your abs and keep your ribs down.
Keeping the elbow angle fixed, lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head until your upper arms are roughly in line with your torso and you feel a stretch in your lats and chest.
Pause briefly, then pull the dumbbell back along the same arc until it is over your chest again, without bending or straightening your elbows.
Keep your feet planted and your lower back from arching on every rep, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
To finish, lower the dumbbell to your chest, hold it there and sit up.

Common Mistakes

Overarching the lower back
Failing to engage the core and glutes allows the lower back to arch excessively, increasing injury risk.
Using momentum
Swinging the dumbbell rather than controlling the movement reduces effectiveness and control.
Changing the elbow angle
Bending the elbows on the way down and straightening them on the way up turns the pullover into a triceps extension and takes work away from the lats and chest.
Lowering past your range
Forcing the dumbbell lower than your shoulders comfortably allow moves the stretch into the front of the shoulder and usually makes the ribs flare.
Loose grip on the dumbbell
Holding the dumbbell by the handle or with relaxed hands lets it shift while it travels over your face.

Injuries

Dumbbell Pullover (Bridge Position) is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique.

The shoulder takes most of the stress. At the bottom of the arc it is loaded in full overhead flexion, and lowering the dumbbell further than your mobility allows can pinch the front of the shoulder. Lifters short on overhead range often arch the lower back and flare the ribs to make up the difference, which shifts strain onto the lower back. Bending and straightening the elbows during the set loads the elbows instead of the target muscles, and because the dumbbell travels over your face, a loose grip is a real hazard.

Lower only as far as you can control without your ribs flaring or your lower back lifting, keep the same slight elbow bend on every rep, and cup the inner side of one dumbbell head firmly with both hands. Start light and add weight gradually. If the overhead position is uncomfortable, regress to a Cable Pullover or a Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown, which load the same pull without a weight over your head. Once the form is solid, progress with a slower lowering phase or a short pause in the stretch before adding load.

Stop the set if you feel pinching or sharp pain in the front of the shoulder, numbness or tingling down the arm, or pain in your lower back, and have persistent shoulder pain assessed before returning to the exercise.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back and chest
Equipment: Dumbbell and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this exercise suitable for beginners?: It is an intermediate-level movement, but a beginner who can raise both arms fully overhead without the lower back arching can learn it with a light dumbbell. If your shoulders pinch or your ribs flare before your upper arms reach your ears, start with a Cable Straight-Arm Pulldown instead.
Q: Do I need a specific type of dumbbell for this?: Any fixed dumbbell works as long as you can cup the inner side of one head with both hands. With an adjustable dumbbell, check that the collars are tight before every set, because the weight passes over your face.
Q: How is this different from a regular dumbbell pullover?: The arm movement is the same. What sets this version apart is the setup: your hips sit at the very end of the bench with your knees bent and feet planted wide, so your feet and abs have to keep you still and stop your lower back from arching.
Q: Does the pullover work the chest or the back?: Both. A 2026 review of the EMG research on lat exercises, drawing on a few small, mostly male studies of barbell and isometric pullovers, found the pullover tended to activate the chest more than it singled out the lats, so treat it as a combined chest and back exercise rather than a lat isolation move.
Q: How far should I lower the dumbbell?: Lower it until your upper arms are roughly in line with your torso or until you feel a strong stretch in your lats and chest, whichever comes first. Stop sooner if your ribs flare, your lower back lifts or the front of your shoulder pinches.