Arnold Schwarzenegger calls this bodybuilding exercise a “absolute must-do”

Schwarzenegger says that the dumbbell sweater can even develop the sides cage. We have dig deep to learn the truth.

Last update on April 28 2025

Arnold Schwarzenegger It commits attention. Whether runs his mouth on the camera in PumpingBy serving the virtual action film one-liners or taking the political podium, people hear what Austrian oak has to say.

And for good reason. Schwarzenegger is perhaps more responsible for providing bodybuilding to popular culture than every person living. So When the goat calls Pullover Dumbbell a “forgotten jewelry” and one of the “must-do” movements of bodybuildingWe definitely note.

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‘One of the primary movements they made [my chest grow to 57 inches] Was Pullover Dumbbell … “Schwarzenegger I wrote for Cable Magazine in 2014, it is assumed that the sweater not only helped to develop PEC’s now-image, but that the exercise could even extend the cage of the human side.

Of course, we are skeptical. So We arrived at a physiology PhD (which also happens to be a competitive bodybuilder) to separate the event from fiction and Find out if Schwarzenegger was blowing tobacco for the dumbbell sweater.

Get to know our experts

This article was written by Streak Senior writer Jake Dickson. Dickson holds a BS degree in exercise science and personal training certificate from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

You will also find contributions here Streak Experts Dr. Ryan Girts. Dr. Girts is a doctorate in exercise physiology and a professor at the University of Pfeiffer. It is also a competitive bodybuilder.

Pullover Dumbbell: Arnold’s favorite exercise?

Before decompressing the oak rationale, let’s get to the same page. Pullovers Dumbbell is an old -fashioned bodybuilding exercise that is usually worshiped by gold -era professionals such as Schwarzenegger and his contemporaries. However, since then it has fallen out of fashion – a “forgotten jewelry”, as Schwarzenegger puts it.

Pullovers operate a unique variety of muscles. By the man himself: “[Pullovers] Work the chest (both external and lower), Lats and Serratus, “says Schwarzenegger, but in his view, this is not the real point of sale.

• “I would recommend [pullovers] As absolutely necessary to extend the sides cage“He writes, specifically citing the utility of the movement for teenage bodybuilders.” The younger you are when you start training, the more effective the exercise is. ”

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There we raised a eyebrow. Modern science has finally dissolved the myth that lifting the weights are developing or inherently detrimental to children and can even be beneficial to children, since training training is performed in supervised conditions with reasonable loads. (1) (2) So what is the deal?

Pullovers Dumbbell make your cage bigger?

Schwarzenegger certainly knows his things when it comes to muscle hypertrophy – he won Olympia seven times, in the end – but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is an anatomy expert.

• According to In the UK -based Royal Osteoporosis society, “… the bones stop increasing between the ages of 16 and 18, but your bone density continues to grow to the end of the 1920s”.

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Closed case? Not enough. Schwarzenegger may simply be confused with the natural periods of adolescence with training options. After all, there is a famous Rib cage, which contributed to the virtual appearance of the V-taper.

But we wanted to dig a little deeper, so we hit Streak Expert, PhD PHED PhD and Bodybuilding Dr. Ryan Girts to download it:

• “I wouldn’t say that sweaters really extend the sides cage“Girts told us.” But Arnold had a point. When performed with a full range of motion, sweaters can Improvement of Lat and thoracic spine mobilitythat probably helped Arnold Finish the gap of stomach and other places on stage, creating the appearance of a wider trunk. ”

We believe that Dr. Girts is just the money here. To summarize, Schwarzenegger’s most charity exercise did not actually did his cageBut sweaters can definitely create it illusion of a wider trunk Beefier. We believe it is a combination of some factors:

• As Dr. Girts notes, Pullovers are fantastic to improve shoulder and spine mobility, which can make it easier to hit the right puts in a bodybuilding stage.
• The sweaters are unique in working two opposing muscles that surround the ribs at the same time: your Pecs and Lats. The development of both will Increase upper body mass and improve your ratio.
• Bodybuilders undergoing competition competitions go on stage with a lot of low levels of body fat; making ribs more intense and visible than they could be during the off -season.

How to make dumbbell birds

Will they give you a barrel wave? Yes, but not by making your cage bigger (sorry, arnie). This Dumbbell exercise aims at the muscular system that surrounds your ribs and, when performed in the correct form, is one of the best ways to develop your lats and chest at the same time.

• Pullover Dumbbell places a high amount Mechanical tension in the target muscles when stretched with your hands behind your head.
• Modern studies show that some repetitionsthat fits into the pullover of the dumbbell, is Extremely powerful in muscle building. (4;

So, if you want to make the kind of profits that Schwarzenegger would have blush, you need to know how to make the sweaters as it did. Here is a crash course:

1. Lie on a weightbench and hold a dumbbell from the bottom of the plate on your palms, with your hands reaching vertically above you.
2. Put your core. You can plant your feet at the edge of the bench, leave them on the ground or be perpendicular to the bench without supporting your hips.
3. Release your hands slowly behind your head without bending over your elbows.
4. As the weight passes behind you, allow the dumbbell to stretch your Lats and Pecs until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
5. Pull the weight back to the boot position by stopping exactly as the dumbbell returns to your field of vision.

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References

1. DAHAB KS, McCambridge TM. Power Training in Children and Adolescents: Raising the bar for young athletes? Athletic health. May 2009, 1 (3): 223-6. DOI: 10.1177/1941738109334215. PMID: 23015875; PMCID: PMC3445252.
2. Conroy, BP, Kraemer, WJ, Maresh, CM, Fleck, SJ, Stone, MH, Fry, AC, Miller, PD, & Dalsky, GP (1993). Density of mineral bones in elite lower Olympic lifters. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise; 25(10), 1103-1109.
3. Pedrosa, GF, Lima, FV, Schoenfeld, BJ, Lacerda, Lt, Simões, Mg, Pereira, MR, Diniz, RCR, & Chagas, MH (2022). The partial order of movement training causes favorable improvements to muscle adjustments when performed in long muscle lengths. European Journal of Sport Science; 22(8), 1250-1260.

Suggested Picture: @schwarzenegger / Instagram