Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover

Setup

1. 01Set a decline bench and hook your feet under the pads.
2. 02Lie back and take the barbell with a grip about shoulder width apart.
3. 03Start with the bar over the chest and the elbows bent roughly 90 degrees.
4. 04Keep the hips and upper back pressed into the bench.

Execution

1. 01Lower the bar back over your head, keeping the elbow bend fixed.
2. 02Descend until you feel a deep stretch through the lats and ribs.
3. 03Pull the bar back over the chest by driving with the lats, not by pressing.
4. 04Stop the bar over the lower chest and repeat.

Checkpoints

• -The elbow angle stays constant; only the shoulders move.
• -The ribcage stays down; the lower back does not overarch.
• -The stretch is felt in the lats, not as pinching in the shoulders.
• -The bar path is a smooth arc, not a press-and-lower.

Common mistakes

• -Extending and flexing the elbows, turning it into a triceps extension.
• -Using so much weight that the shoulders lose position in the stretch.
• -Flaring the ribs and arching the lower back off the bench.
• -Rushing the lowering phase past a controllable range.