The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (59 page)

From the contracted position, slowly begin your return to the starting position with a slow and controlled movement.

As you reach the starting position, slowly and smoothly begin pulling the bar towards you without resting. Maintain the same form as when you began the exercise, making sure that no momentum is involved while changing over from the contracted position to the starting position.

FAQ:

When I do this exercise, it hurts my lower back
.

ANSWER:

This can be a tough exercise if you have a low back injury. This is especially true if you’re going very heavy. The excessive weight will naturally pull you forward while your lower back muscles hold you in place. When you oppose the back muscles with the force of this pull, it can strain your lower back muscles. Your best bet is to maintain a strict lumbar curve in your lower back, keep your abdominals contracted to help secure your anatomical posture, don’t bend forward at the hips, and avoid momentum at all costs. These four things will greatly diminish pain and strain to the lower back.

Dumbbell Pullover

There are two variations of this exercise. There is one that focuses mostly on the chest muscles and one that focuses more on the back muscles. What will enable you to focus on the two different muscle groups is the alignment, technique and form of your body and the exercise. Please pay attention to the exercise description steps below to help differentiate between the two exercise variations. This particular exercise variation is for the back muscles. Not only will this exercise help to create a beautifully toned and tight back region, but it will also benefit the triceps muscles located on the back of the upper arms.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Lie with your body across a flat bench.

Ensure that your neck and your upper back are the only body parts resting on the bench.

Lift a dumbbell overhead and hold it at arm’s length right in front of your face. (Please ensure that the dumbbells you are using have their weights properly secured).

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Slowly lower the dumbbell over your head in an arc.

Ensure that your hips are not being raised as you lower the weight.

When you reach the fully stretched position, hold the stretch for a second and start raising the weight back up in an arc until you reach the starting position once again.

CHEST VARIATION

A variation of the pullover exercise is for the chest muscles. You will notice how the bent arm technique, along with the lowering of the torso help to bring concentration to the chest muscles rather than the back muscles. This is NOT an alternate exercise to stimulate back muscle growth.