10 Best Dumbbell Pullover Alternatives for Chest and Lat Size

The Dumbbell Pullover is done lying on your back with dumbbells. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Dumbbell Around Pullover, the Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover and the Decline Dumbbell Bench Press.

The Dumbbell Pullover stretches your chest and lats by lowering a single dumbbell behind your head with your arms almost straight. The Dumbbell Around Pullover is the closest swap, keeping the same single dumbbell and the same behind-the-head reach, with the only change being that your arms stay straight instead of slightly bent. If you would rather trade that stretch for a press, the Decline Dumbbell Bench Press keeps the pectorals working through a shorter path.

Dumbbell PulloverWatch the Dumbbell Pullover

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Dumbbell Pullover

The steps for the Dumbbell Pullover itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with latissimus dorsi, triceps · Dumbbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet on the floor.
  2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight above your chest.
  3. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment, then raise the dumbbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Dumbbell Pullover Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Dumbbell Pullover on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Dumbbell Around PulloverPlay demonstration

    1. Dumbbell Around Pullover

    95% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the pectorals.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet firmly on the ground.
    2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight above your chest.
    3. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head in an arc motion.
    4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then raise the dumbbell back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
  2. Dumbbell Straight Arm PulloverPlay demonstration

    2. Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover

    89% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    It still works the pectorals, through a different movement.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your head at one end and your feet planted firmly on the ground.
    2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight above your chest.
    3. Keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head in an arc-like motion.
    4. Pause for a moment, then raise the dumbbell back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
  3. Barbell Decline Bent Arm PulloverPlay demonstration

    3. Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover

    74% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Isolation

    A looser match: it works the lats rather than the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie down on a decline bench with your head lower than your hips and your feet secured.
    2. Hold a barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing away from you) and extend your arms straight above your chest.
    3. Lower the barbell behind your head in a controlled manner, keeping your arms slightly bent.
    4. Pause for a moment, then raise the barbell back to the starting position by contracting your lats.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: lats, not pectorals
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Pullover
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Dumbbell Pullover

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Pullover Alternative

Only a barbell on hand instead of a dumbbell, a single dumbbell that is awkward to balance overhead, or a preference to skip the long stretch behind the head are the usual reasons to swap out the Dumbbell Pullover. The other pullovers keep that same reach behind your head, whether you are holding a single dumbbell or a barbell, so the stretch across your chest and lats stays the point. Others turn the movement into a press that trains your pectorals through a shorter, more familiar range instead. Pick the pullovers if the stretch itself is what you are after, and the presses if balancing one heavy dumbbell over your face or that long reach is what is getting in the way.

How to Choose the Right Dumbbell Pullover Substitute

Take the Dumbbell Around Pullover first: it holds the same single dumbbell and the same behind-the-head reach, with your arms kept straight rather than slightly bent as on the original. The Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover is performed the same way, so either one is the same swap. If your shoulders would rather skip that stretch, move to a press: the Decline Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Decline Hammer Press, Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press and Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press all train the pectorals with a dumbbell in each hand, which suits anyone who finds a single dumbbell awkward to balance. With only a barbell, the Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover keeps the same reach but shifts the load onto your lats instead.

Dumbbell Pullover FAQ

What can I use instead of the Dumbbell Pullover if I only have a barbell?

The Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover is cued to pull the bar back by contracting your lats, so expect it to feel more like a back exercise than a chest stretch; the Barbell Decline Wide-grip Pullover and the flat-bench Barbell Bent Arm Pullover are lowered and raised the same way as the dumbbell version, with a wider or shoulder-width grip on the bar.

Which swap suits a beginner best?

The Dumbbell Around Pullover is the simplest place to start, since it uses the same bench and the same single dumbbell and only asks you to keep your arms straight instead of slightly bent. If the behind-the-head stretch itself feels like the problem, the Decline Dumbbell Bench Press is a familiar press that still trains the pectorals with a dumbbell in each hand.

Can I do a Dumbbell Pullover alternative at home?

Yes. The Dumbbell Around Pullover and Dumbbell Straight Arm Pullover need nothing beyond the flat bench and single dumbbell you already use. The Decline Dumbbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Decline Hammer Press need a decline bench with somewhere to secure your feet, and the Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press and Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press need an incline bench, plus a dumbbell in each hand.

Which alternative works the chest more than the lats?

The pressing options, the Decline Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Decline Hammer Press, Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press and Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press, all push the dumbbells up with your chest and never take the arms behind your head, so the lats stay out of it. The Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover goes the other way and puts the lats first instead.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.