Chest · Barbell
Barbell Pullover with Bench Press
How to do the barbell pullover with bench 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
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on a flat bench holding a barbell over your chest. Press the bar up, then lower it back behind your head with slightly bent arms for a pullover, pull it back over your chest, and finish each rep with a bench press to your mid-chest. Combine both movements in one controlled sequence.
- 1Chest and lats stretching as the bar travels behind your head
- 2Chest and triceps driving the press portion to lockout
- 3Ribcage opening on the pullover, then chest squeezing on the press
Common mistakes
- Bending your elbows heavily during the pullover
- Arching your lower back off the bench
- Going too deep behind your head before you have the mobility
Muscles worked
The barbell pullover with bench press mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, lats, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- LatsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell pullover with bench 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.