Pullover near the block on the crossover simulator: technique, mistakes, video

Pullover is an isolated exercise performed in a special block simulator and aimed at expanding the chest and increasing the muscles of the back. For people with a thin, ectomorphic physique, a pullover will be an excellent training element that will develop the latissimus dorsi muscles, and, therefore, create athletic proportions of the upper body. In addition, straight arm rows on a block are recommended as a basic exercise for developing the chest and triceps muscles.

Overview of the exercise: purpose, active muscles, equipment used
Technique for performing a pullover in a block simulator
Recommendations for performing the exercise

How to do a pullover correctly in a block simulator

Good day, our dear readers. Today we will learn how to do a specific exercise to develop the back muscles - a standing pullover or a pullover on a block simulator, a pullover in a crossover. The mechanics of movement is bringing the arms to the body.

During the exercise, various muscle groups are involved in the work. This includes the back, chest and arms. Therefore, depending on the specifics and variations of the technique, the load can be emphasized on individual groups. Our task today is to pump up the back - so we will learn how to do a pullover at the training block with an emphasis on the lats.

How a pullover in a crossover looks in motion

Bicep curls while sitting on an incline bench

Target muscles:

biceps;
brachialis.

Procedure for performing the exercise:

give the bench an inclination angle of approximately 45° and place it in front of the upper crossover block;
Attach a horizontal handle to the cable (or a rope handle if you want to perform hammer bends);
grab the handle and lie with your back on the bench;
at the beginning of each repetition, the arms should be straight and directed upward towards the block;
Without using your shoulders or forearms, slowly pull the cable towards your forehead, continuing this movement until it touches;
Flexing your biceps as hard as possible, hold the peak contraction for 1-2 seconds;
slowly return to the starting position.

Why do you need to do the exercise? As your arms are extended in front of you, the traction will act on the brachialis, stimulating its growth. The increase in biceps directly depends on this factor. Thus, the brachialis plays the role of the “great mass builder.” In addition, strict adherence to the exercise technique provides a powerful, unparalleled contraction of the biceps, which leads to a rapid increase in its volume.

Technique

Let's dwell on the technique and find out why, when performing a pullover, the load is focused on the back muscles?

Hand position. The load falls on the back and does not leave it thanks to the positions of the arms throughout the entire range of motion, and especially at the top. Without raising our arms very high, we constantly strain our back. In a regular pullover, the hands go far behind the head at the top point. That is, we work our arms, biceps, then our chest, and then our back, it turns on at a certain point. Here we shorten the amplitude of the movement and leave only the phase that is responsible for the work of the lats.

Back position. When doing a crossover pullover, as in all back exercises, the lower back should be slightly arched and the back straight. As for the chest, it should be slightly inflated and, as it were, pushed up. When there is a natural deflection in the lower back, this allows the back muscles to contract correctly.

Knees. When performing lat pulldowns with straight arms, you need to squat down - bend your knees. With your knees bent, it is easier to work your back and contract your back muscles.

Hands. Hands must be fixed throughout the entire range of motion. They do not need to be raised high or bent at the elbows to imitate a French bench press. It is necessary to achieve a position of the hands where movement in the elbow joint is close to a minimum. This is the connecting link; all the work is transferred to the back muscles. So that it doesn’t turn out that by pumping up your lats, you pump up your arms.

Top and bottom point

. At the lowest point of the amplitude, you need to linger for a couple of seconds and strain your back with additional effort. This is the so-called peak contraction. At the top, on the contrary, you need to stretch your lats, but do not throw your arms, do not let them go up by inertia. Maintain an average position, approximately parallel to the floor, maybe a little higher.

More on the back:

Upper pulley to chest

Distance to projectile. In order for the back muscles to contract as efficiently as possible while pulling the upper block with straight arms, it will be necessary to conduct several experiments regarding the distance of the body from the projectile. The load on your back will change as you move closer or further away from the crossover block exercise machine.

Angles of inclination, handles. The same is with the angles of inclination, a little lower, a little higher. Try different handles. Some people will feel comfortable doing it with a straight handle, others with a bent handle. Third, they will use a rope handle, parallel or V-shaped, in the pullover. That is, there are a lot of options - you need to try.

Flaws

This exercise does not belong to the basic class, so you should not put it at the center of your training program. Don't forget that most muscle mass is built by doing the bench press, deadlift and squat. And a pullover is a good isolating exercise that will give your pectoral and back muscles a beautiful definition and make your skeleton wider.

Does exercise harm your shoulders?

If performed incorrectly, the pullover puts excessive pressure on the cartilage surrounding the shoulder joint. If they are damaged, the athlete will have to postpone training for 3-6 months.

If you listen to the following tips, your shoulders will be in perfect order:

warm up your shoulder joints thoroughly before doing a pullover
maintain a moderate range of motion, do not lower the projectile too far behind your head
start with small weights

Execution Sequence

1. Take the starting position - facing the block machine 2. Take the bar and handle with a comfortable grip, take a step back 3. Slightly bend your elbows and tilt them forward 20 degrees from the vertical in order to lift the load from a dead center 4 Bend at the waist, keep your back straight and level, bend your knees 5. Inhale, straining your lats, and begin to pull the bar towards your body with straight arms, up to your hips 6. At the bottom, pause and additionally strain your back muscles, focusing the load on them 7. Smoothly release the handle without straightening your arms or changing the position of your back and legs to the starting position.
8. At the very top, try to stretch and stretch your back muscles even more, bend over, exhaling even more strongly. Position 1

Position 2

Purpose of the exercise and working muscles

As much as those who “pump up their chest” with a pullover might not want it, the main movers here are the muscles that rotate the shoulder and the latissimus dorsi muscles. The triceps, pectoralis major and rhomboid muscles work as stabilizers. A person performing the exercise, lying across the bench, statically loads the buttocks, thigh biceps and calf muscles. In addition, they help the movement of the forearms. Sometimes they write that the biceps is a stabilizer. This is true for techniques with strongly bent arms. If a person also brings his shoulders too close to his ears, the trapezius muscle works. This movement additionally activates the intercostal muscles and helps strengthen them.

Why is it believed that a pullover expands the chest? Let's look at the torso of a person standing upright:

Visually, the width of the chest in the frontal pose is not determined by the volume of the chest;
The latissimus dorsi muscles give “shape” to the torso and width to the chest;
A “raised” barrel-shaped chest in profile is an “achievement” of posture when a person can stand and move with his shoulder blades rigidly contracted to the spine and lowered

The pullover trains a pose in which the chest rises slightly upward and leans forward. In this sense, it is an exercise for expanding the chest.

Doctors are against the idea that the chest can be expanded in any way other than a couple of centimeters by pumping up the muscles. The fact is that after 20-27 years the human skeleton stops growing, and the circumference of the ribs cannot be changed. But only the circumference of the ribs builds a truly “wide” chest.

Important: young people can slightly change the proportions if they do not limit themselves to a pullover, but also add a heavy “base”.

Many sources recommend combining pullovers with “breathing” squats. The technique belongs to the Lyubertsy school of bodybuilding, and it’s hard to say that it didn’t work for its followers. However, the American school suggests not limiting yourself to squats, but also working on deadlifts. Yes, perhaps your waist will become a few centimeters wider, but the growth of your lats will be powerful. Therefore, if the goal is to build a powerful torso, the pullover should be combined not only with the squat, but also with the deadlift.

Errors

» Using the force of inertia and swing. You need to perform the exercise smoothly, without jerking or swaying.

» Do not round your back and shoulders when pulling a pullover at the crossover block. Remember, the back loves an arched lower back and vertical

“The body should not walk from side to side or back and forth. Keep yourself still and fixed at all times.

Number of approaches and repetitions

» For men: 15 - 20 repetitions 4 sets. » For women: 15 - 20 repetitions 4 sets.

How can you replace a pullover standing next to a block?

The exercise, one-arm dumbbell row in an inclined position, will be similar in load.

What can be replaced

In acupressure exercises there are always branches, so even in a pullover there are two types: block and with a barbell. A lying down pullover is suitable if the gym is busy or there are health restrictions.

A lying pullover requires strict adherence: the dumbbell or weight plate should rise from the stomach to the back of the head, without bending the arms. Your feet should be positioned at a 45-degree angle with your heels on the floor at all times.

For greater effect, experts recommend that during the first pullover lessons, the trainer observe the technique of execution in order to know your shortcomings.

You can also replace a block pullover with a standing dumbbell or barbell row. The main nuance is that your arms should not be tense, your knees should be bent, and your face should look forward.

In the first position - feet shoulder-width apart, hands with dumbbells or any other load below. Number of times - 30, two approaches. Dumbbells, barbells of varying weights, or water bottles are suitable for this exercise.

Peculiarities

The crossover pullover is the only exercise that specifically targets the back. Most lat pulldowns involve the biceps, but this one doesn't.

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When performing a pullover with a dumbbell, the pectoral muscles are greatly stretched as the apparatus goes behind the head. In the exercise with a dumbbell, you cannot fully straighten your arms, otherwise the shoulder joint will be heavily loaded. In addition, the triceps will be worked the most. If you perform a pullover in a crossover, there will be no such problems: you don’t have to put your hands behind your head, you can keep them straight, there will be no harmful load on the shoulder joint, all actions are performed in front of you. Thus, while performing this exercise, you do not need to think about other muscles, but simply train your back, but, of course, following the technique.

For the back

Bent over expander row

Let's start with basic exercises aimed at developing back thickness. It is an analogue of the BAR ROLL IN THE INCLINE. Depending on the angle of inclination, we can shift the load from the top to the bottom of the latissimus muscles. Due to the fact that we perform rows with both hands, we can take more rigid expanders. This will increase the load on the working muscles. As a result, they will begin to grow.

Performance:

Stand with both feet in the middle of the expander and take its edges in your hands.
We move the pelvis back and tilt the body forward. For greater stability, bend your knees slightly.
The back should be straight, there should be a slight arch in the lower back, and the gaze should be directed forward.
As you exhale, we begin to bring the shoulder blades together and pull the edges of the expander to the lower abdomen (the area under the navel).
Hold this position for a short time to maximize the load on the latissimus and rhomboid back muscles.
Then, as you exhale, we return to the starting position.

Perform deadlifts by contracting your back muscles rather than bending your arm. To do this, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and lifting your elbows up. Take your time, do the exercise at an average pace. If you have done this deadlift before, only with a barbell. Then at first, performing it with an expander will not be familiar. But this is a temporary effect and it will pass quickly.

Vertical thrust

And again, a basic exercise for training your back. Basically, VERTICAL PULLING is performed in a crossover. It is aimed at increasing the width of the back. To complete it, we will need to secure the expander to something. I have already written about this earlier. We can also work on different areas of the back and increase the range of motion. This is achieved by positioning the edges of the expander relative to each other. The closer they are, the greater the amplitude will become and the load will fall on the bottom of the lats. A wide stance uses the upper part of the lats. But this will reduce the amplitude.

Performance:

Secure the middle part of the expander to the bracket installed at the top. Or press it against the door (assuming your doors are secure).
Grab its edges with your hands and kneel down.
As you exhale, pull the edges of the expander down.
As you inhale, return to the starting position.

Beginners will find it difficult to feel the work of their back at first. But there is a proven method

You need to focus on lowering your elbows rather than bending your arm at the elbow joint. And then the biceps will not dominate the exercise.

Horizontal thrust

Another exercise option for the back that helps develop its thickness. It is performed while sitting on the floor. It is analogous to the LOWER BLOCK ROD. As in the vertical row, we also increase the amplitude of movement by bringing the edges of the expander together. A kind of close grip deadlift.

Performance:

Sit on the floor. Extend your legs forward.
Take the expander by the edges and secure the middle to your feet.
Straighten your back, lean your chest forward a little. Arch your lower back.
As you exhale, pull the edges of the expander towards the middle of your abdomen. To perform the movement, you need to bring your shoulder blades together.
While inhaling, we return to the starting position.

Before you start, check that the expander is securely fastened to your feet. To be more calm, you can rest them against the wall

This is very important, as the expander can come off in your face. Watch your movements

Do not bend your legs or round your back while doing this.