By Dr. Antonio Parolisi
Biomechanical considerations and contraindications for the practice of "pullover" exercise
The considerations that will be exposed during the drafting of this article are to be considered of integration to the article "For the free way to the Lat machine".
Often the addition of an exercise, such as the pullover, in a training card for the muscles of the back and chest of an athlete dedicated to muscle building, is applied to increase the work on those muscles that need more "stress training" from multiple angles; above all to contain the work on the muscles of the arms which, due to excessive stress in the free traction exercises at the bar or the lat machine, have exhausted the energy reserves, unlike the backbones. For this reason, at the end of the workout, the athlete may need exercises that stimulate the back without excessively involving the arms.
The work like that of the pullover, which in essence is a mono-articular movement, at least from a kinetic point of view, is really interesting as an addition in a training for the back muscles as it allows an important work of the latter without the massive contribution of the Brachial, brachial and brachioradial biceps which, as mentioned above, will probably be "tired" from the traction exercises compromising the productivity of subsequent back exercises.
As usual the Pullover in its infinite goodness is not without risks ... This is an exercise that, probably more than the others, needs special attention, due to the important joint stress that derives from it, as well as the excessive stress that it involves the joint capsule of the shoulder.
But let's try to understand when this movement, with overload, can be practiced safely or must be abolished altogether.
Each person is a story in itself, so as usual, one must know that person's ability to make that move.
Speaking of load training, the pullover is an absolute contraindication in all those cases where there is a pathology affecting the shoulder and in which this movement could exacerbate the pain or cause it to arise from a silent problem that has remained dormant up to that point. Another absolute contraindication occurs when the subject has a problem of "hernia jatale" or "gastroesophageal reflux". Particularly if you have a hint of hernia, the practice of exercises like the Pullover and in general of all those exercises that involve efforts with raised arms, can contribute to the escape of the hernia and create serious problems for those who perform them.
In these cases, before starting training sessions, it is advisable to consult a doctor-surgeon who, if he deems it appropriate, will be able to advise an Osteopath who is able, with the practice of visceral manipulations, to favor the restoration of optimal or certainly better conditions ; in the worst case the doctor-surgeon will know how to act in this regard, but surely the personal trainer will have to pay particular attention when he will draw up a weight training program, up to abstain from the prescriptions of exercises, unless there is clearance from the treating doctor or specialist who is in charge of the subject.
So beware !!!
Once the risk of visceral problems has been avoided, in the exercise of the pullover it is essential to understand to what extent the subject can perform the flexion of the humerus in the sagittal plane. To be clear, we need to understand how far the arm can go up in front of the body before a fee is charged to the column to allow total movement of the movement.
Flexibility can be measured through the test used for lat machine suitability.
Fig1 evaluation test of the shoulder extensors
the subject has no movement restrictions
you compensate at the lumbar level. Ultimately he is gifted
good flexibility for pullover practice
Considering the muscular activation of this pullover exercise, it is in fact observed that the activated muscles are by far those that intervene in the traction on the lat machine (except the flexors of the arm) with a greater stress in the final part of the movement, when the load determines an excessive stretching of the joint.
The muscles will therefore be: Large Dorsal, Posterior Deltoid, Large Dentate Rhomboids, Trapezius, Large Pectoral and Brachial Triceps, as well as the abdomen with a massive isometric stabilizing component and the hip flexors for the purpose of creating a fixed point in the search for collect the closing kinetic chain.
CONTINUE: Part Two »
