One of those machines was the Nautilus pullover. Through organized bodybuilding's early years in the 1950s and '60s, bodybuilders continued to credit the pullover as being essential in sculpting their upper bodies.Ī thick barrel chest was an ideal and the prevailing gym logic said you couldn't get there without lying on a flat bench and bringing a weight to arm's length overhead.īy the 1970s and '80s, bodybuilders had access to more fully equipped gyms with an assortment of specialized machines to better target specific bodyparts. In any case, plenty of lifters reported great results from the "squats, pullovers, and milk" plan. Whether or not that was actually happening, we'll discuss later. The primary benefit was thought to be an expansion of the ribcage, from the deliberate deep breathing between reps that compounded with the deep breathing that took place during the squats earlier in the workout. If you were only going to do one or two upper body exercises (because low volume workouts were "in style" back then), the breathing pullover, as it was known, was considered a must-have. And it worked, because big lifting plus big calories are a solid combo. In the 1920s, a popular training strategy combined heavy, high-rep squats with light, high-rep pullovers as a fast track to building a large body. It's time to bring this forgotten classic back into regular rotation.Īround 1911, Alan Calvert, founder of the Milo Barbell Company and Strength magazine, declared the barbell pullover "the best exercise known for developing a deep chest."Įver hear of the old "squats and milk" routine, where skinny beginners are told to drink a gallon of milk everyday while training with high-rep squats? Well, from day one, the plan was actually "squats and pullovers and milk." Seriously. Nowadays, you're more likely to find a powerlifter on the pec-deck than you are to see a pullover being performed in the gym. Years ago, it was considered one of the most important exercises in bodybuilding. Last, a real old-timer sits up after a set and tells you, "This'll stretch your ribcage and give you the kind of barrel torso Hercules would be proud of."Īnd that's the complicated, confusing, even contradictory world of the pullover. It makes a huge difference in my ab poses." "I've been doing this for years and it really built up my serratus. The fourth lifter is super-ripped and would be a great fitness model. The stretch on the lats and the peak contraction are key." baby!"Ī wide British monster whose shadow covers half the wall chimes in. "Yeah, buddy! Love doing these with light. The second dude, with an even funnier accent, drops a 200-pound dumbbell to the floor after finishing his set. Ze pump you get feels incredible, like being wiz a woman." In a funny, not-quite-German accent, one tells you, "I do zis every chest workout. Imagine you saw a group of guys gathered near the dumbbell rack taking turns doing an exercise you've never seen it before, so you ask what they're doing.
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