Exercise movement reviewed by:Cody Lockling, MS, CSCS

How Iridium Programs This

This exercise heavily recruits the lats, chest, and the long head of the triceps, creating a complex fatigue profile across opposing muscle groups. Iridium scans your 7-day workout history to ensure none of these specific areas are approaching their Maximum Recoverable Volume before programming this movement.

Form Cues

Lie flat on a bench with your head supported and feet planted firmly.
Maintain a slight, fixed bend in your elbows (20-30 degrees) throughout the entire rep.
Lower the bar slowly behind your head until you feel a deep stretch in your armpits.
Initiate the return by driving your elbows toward your hips.
Keep your ribs tucked down and core engaged to prevent arching.

Don't

Don't bend and extend your elbows like a tricep extension.
Don't let your hips rise off the bench as the weight goes back.
Don't lower the bar so far that you feel pain in the shoulder joint.
Don't pull the bar all the way to your stomach; stop over your chest.
Don't flare your ribs excessively at the bottom of the movement.

Common Mistakes

Turning the movement into a skull crusher (triceps extension)
Excessive lumbar arching or rib flare
Using momentum to swing the weight up
Shortening the range of motion and missing the stretch
Gripping the bar too narrowly

Muscles Worked

This exercise is unique because it engages the latissimus dorsi through a large range of motion while also recruiting the pectoralis major (chest) and serratus anterior. While the lats drive the movement, the long head of the triceps acts as a dynamic stabilizer to keep the arms in position without extending the elbow.