Chest · Barbell
Barbell Pullover to Press
How to do the barbell pullover to press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie flat on a bench holding a barbell over your chest with a shoulder-width grip. Keeping your arms slightly bent, lower the bar in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch through your lats and chest, pull it back over your chest, then bend your elbows and press the bar up to lockout. That pullover-to-press is one rep.
- 1A deep stretch through your lats and chest as the bar travels behind your
- 2head
- 3Your lats and chest pulling the bar back over your chest
- 4Your triceps and chest finishing the press to lockout
Common mistakes
- Letting your ribs flare or your lower back arch off the bench
- Over-bending your elbows during the pullover portion
- Losing control of the bar behind your head
Muscles worked
The barbell pullover to press mainly works the mid chest and lats, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- LatsPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell pullover to press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.