Machine Pullover

Execution

1. Sit tall with your back flat against the pad, arms starting nearly straight overhead.
2. Exhale and pull the bar down in an arc to upper-abdomen level, moving only from the shoulder joint, keeping a fixed elbow bend the whole way.
3. Pause a beat at the bottom, squeezing the lats, without shrugging the shoulders up.
4. Inhale and let the bar return overhead under control over 2-3 seconds, not stretching past a comfortable range.
5. Keep the lower back flat against the pad throughout; don't arch to chase extra range.
6. If you run out of strength mid-rep, let your arms rise with the bar until it comes to rest on the stack; do not try to hold it partway.
7. End the set by returning the bar to the top, letting the stack come to a full stop on the pins before releasing the handle and standing up.

Quick cues

• Move from the shoulder, not the elbow.
• Keep the back flat on the pad.
• Hold the same elbow bend throughout.
• Let the bar rise slow, no yanking back.

Common faults

• Fault: Bending the elbows more, turning the movement into a triceps pushdown

  Fix: Keep the elbow bend fixed and move purely from the shoulder joint.

• Fault: Arching the lower back off the pad to extend the range

  Fix: Keep the back flat against the pad throughout, and lighten the load if it still takes an arch.

• Fault: Letting the bar snap back overhead fast at the end of the rep

  Fix: Count 2-3 seconds on the way back, and lighten the load if it still jerks.

• Fault: Shrugging the shoulders up to initiate the pull

  Fix: Drop the shoulders first and start the pull from the shoulder joint, not from the neck.