Flat Bench Press vs. Barbell Pullovers
It’s always interesting to see how certain exercises compare to another when looking at how they stimulate the same muscle groups. That being said, today’s post looks at the difference between flat bench press and barbell pullovers. I thought this comparison was interesting as the latter is thought by some to be a chest exercise. However, as you’ll see, it’s not a great exercise for training your chest.
In a study conducted in Brazil, 12 men with a minimum of one year training experience perform both flat bench press and barbell pullovers using a 12-rep load. The researchers conducting the study placed electrodes on the men’s pecs (both clavicular and sternal heads), triceps brachii (the long head), anterior deltoid (a.k.a. front delts), posterior deltoid (a.k.a. rear delts) and latissimus dorsi (a.k.a. lats).
What they found was that muscle activation in the clavicular and sternal heads of the chest were significantly greater in flat bench press. Same goes for the front delts. There wasn’t much difference in the rear delts tho. Finally, the muscle activation of the triceps (long head) and lats was significantly greater during barbell pullovers.
With the above said, keep in mind this doesn’t mean one exercise is superior to the other. The purpose of this recap is to make you aware of the differences between the two exercises and to use that information accordingly when developing your own training program.
Campos, Y et al. Comparison of electromyographic activity during the bench press and barbell pullover exercises. Motriz. Revista de Educação Física. 2014. June. 20(2)