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Lying Cable Pullover
The Lying Cable Pullover is a strength exercise on a cable machine for your back. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: lats (upper) 21%, mid chest 17% and lats (lower) 15%.
How to do it
- Set a flat bench lengthwise in front of a low pulley and clip on a straight bar.
- Lie on your back with your head toward the pulley and feet flat on the floor.
- Take the bar with an overhand grip about shoulder width and hold it above your chest with slightly bent arms.
- Lower the bar back over your head in an arc until your upper arms are beside your ears.
- Pull the bar back over your chest along the same arc, keeping the elbow angle fixed.
Tips
- The cable keeps tension at the top where free weights go slack, so pause above the chest.
- Keep the lower back flat on the bench throughout.
Common mistakes
- Lying too close to the pulley so the cable goes slack at the stretch.
- Bending the elbows more to pull the bar back.
- Arching off the bench at the deepest point.
Muscles worked by the Lying Cable Pullover
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Lying pullovers load the pec as much as the lats (Marchetti and Uchida 2011). With the elbows locked, shoulder extension isolates the lats and the long head of the triceps; lying pullovers bring the sternal pec in strongly.
Lying Cable Pullover alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
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Make it harder
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Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Lying Cable Pullover work?
Mainly the lats (upper) and lats (lower). The mid chest, lower chest, triceps (long head) and rear delts assist.
Is the Lying Cable Pullover good for beginners?
The Lying Cable Pullover is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Band Straight Arm Pulldown first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Lying Cable Pullover?
For example the Barbell Pull Over, Dumbbell Lat Pullover and Band Straight Arm Pulldown. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
How do you make the Lying Cable Pullover harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Front Lever Raise and Skin the Cat.
Sources
- Marchetti and Uchida 2011, J Appl Biomech 27(4):380-384 (pullover, pec and lats)
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