As a runner, I’m guilty of neglecting my upper body. On my trips to the gym, I’ll choose leg-strengthening exercises that will help me run harder and ward off injury, and core exercises that will help with my posture while running. With that in mind, when I took on this weird and wonderful challenge of doing 50 dumbbell pullovers a day for a week, I was nervous.
When done with the correct form, the dumbbell pull-up targets the muscles of the chest – the pectoralis major, as well as the wing-shaped muscles of the back. It will also target your core and triceps. But how effective is this movement, and will doing 30 repetitions a day make any difference in my body? Read on to find out what happened.
Of course, it goes without saying that working out the same muscle group every day for a week is not recommended. Plus, what works for me may not work for you and your body. If you’re new to exercise, or you’re getting back into exercise after an injury, it’s a good idea to check in with a personal trainer before increasing the reps or adding weight to your workout.
Looking for more workout inspiration? Read what happened and when I did 50 planks every day for a weekAnd when this writer did 50 sumo squats every day for a week.
How to do the dumbbell pullover exercise
Start by lying on your back on an exercise bench, with your feet on the floor, slightly wider than the bench to do dumbbell pushups. If your feet don’t reach the floor, put them on some boards so they’re supported, or lay them flat on a bench, but make sure your head is still supported on the bench. Hold a dumbbell in both hands or a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms to the ceiling, hold dumbbells to your chest, palms facing each other and your elbows slightly bent.
Engage your core, and lower the weight above your head. Pause when your arms extend behind your head, then raise the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Make sure to keep your back pressed into the bench throughout the exercise — if you’re arching your back, you’re probably not engaging your core because you’re lowering the weight behind your head.
I Did 50 Dumbbell Pullovers A Day For A Week – Here’s What Happened
To learn more, I grabbed dumbbells (see my The best adjustable dumbbells if you lift weights at home), and add 50 dumbbell pullovers a day to my routine. Here’s what happened.
I had to cut weight to make sure my form was right
On the first day of this challenge, I grabbed a 20-pound weight and got to work. I realized after ten reps that I needed to check my ego and lower my weight—my back was arching as I lowered dumbbells behind my head, and my palms were facing up toward the ceiling at the bottom of the movement. For the rest of the reps, I used a ten-pound dumbbell and moved slowly, controlling the rest of the reps. I would pause at the bottom of the movement, and by the end of the first day, I felt like I might feel a slight tingling in my triceps.
You definitely felt your abs working
On days two and three, I continued moving with a lighter weight, electing to do three sets of 15 reps, with a break between each set to reset. One of these days there weren’t enough weight plates in the gym to stack next to the bench, (I was too small to lie on the bench and keep my feet flat on the floor), so I bent my knees and put my feet flat on the bench, making sure to That my head is still propped up.
For the final set on both days I increased weight, holding 15 lbs. I felt my muscles working throughout the movement, and I tried to think of keeping my belly button snug against my spine the whole time.
I became more confident with this move
Going from not working out triceps to doing pullovers with dumbbells every day meant that by day four and five, my arms were sore. I’ve also felt this movement in my chest—dumbbell pullovers can help improve flexibility in your upper body, something that can easily get tight if you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, like me.
By the final days of this challenge, I felt more confident in the movement and opted for a slight change, doing 50 dumbbell pullovers with leg extensions. For this exercise, instead of keeping my feet flat on the bench, I raised them to a tabletop position as if I were doing a dead wrong (here’s what happened when I did 100 dead bugs a day for a week). At the bottom of the dumbbell jumper, with my arms holding the dumbbells extended behind my head, I extended my legs out, before bringing them back and completing a dumbbell pushup. These were tough and definitely forced me to work hard.
I did 50 dumbbell pullovers a day for a week – my judgment
This was definitely one of the more challenging challenges for me, but by the end of the week, I felt more confident working out. Of course, a week isn’t long enough to build muscle or notice massive body changes, but I felt like I worked my arms and chest, and it made me realize how I need to focus on these areas in the future.
Will I add a dumbbell pullover to my weekly strength training workout? yes. But I’m relieved I don’t have to do 50 of them tomorrow morning!
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