danartman
Fri, August 27th, 2004, 08:32 PM
All about my favorite machine: The Super Pullover Machine...
Learning to master the pullover machine can add more than just variety to your upper body workouts. The brain child of Nautilus founder Arthur Jones, this machine offers a unique and complete upper body workout. Built in the late 60's and marketed in the 70's to the public, this was the first truly innovative machine in over 100 years. Jone's created it in a quest to build the "perfect exercise" machine devoid of sticking points and the leverage flaws of traditional machines and free weights and with a full range of motion.
If you can find one, and most decent gyms have one, a super pullover machine (Nautilus makes them, Camstar, Cybex, Maxicam, MED-X as well, HAMMER STRENGTH currently makes a plate loaded one) is an opportunity to benefit from a fantastic exercise: the machine pullover.
Start slowly with the Super pullover exercise with light weights and give yourself months (not weeks) to build up to heavy weights. And trust me, you will build up. This exercise works the entire torso. It will be worth it. Be careful with your shoulders. This exercise should always be performed with control. No jerking movements. That being said I do perform semi-fast reps while doing 1/3 bottom movements, which I will describe in a moment. Those are safe. The full movement I do SLOW.
Super Pullover Training:
Sit upright in the machine. Have your shoulders in line with the pivot of the machine. Generally you have to sit a little lower than you might think to get this position right. Experiment for a few minutes with the seat height adjustment till you feel you are in the correct groove while performing the pullover movement. Relax the hands and push from the back of the triceps against the pad. Let your back contract as you push against the resistance. Don't hunch forward (excessively) or or lean forward as you bring the bar down. Sit upright. As you finish the movement you can lean slightly forward contracting the abs and chest as you complete the movement. Hold the bar at your abs for a pause and then raise the bar very slowly.
How far should you go back? Not too far. The machine can hurt your shoulders with it's greater than normal arc or range. Raise the bar back to about the position you would be if you were at the top of a lat pull. Don't risk going back any further.
The pullover machine can work the back and lats like nothing else as it takes the hands and arms out of the equation as much as possible. The full range movement is like a chin, a row, and pullover all at the same time. Work hard on mastering the superpullover. It will build your torso in a unique and powerful way. There is truthfully nothing else like it.
THE PARTIAL RANGES
The partial ranges (the top of the arc, the middle of the arc and the bottom of the arc) can be used as exercises all by themselves, with different weight schemes. Move slow during your reps. The bottom of the movement is the strongest point and you can load up the weights. I love to do these bringing the bar up about 14 inches from the bottom, then jamming it back down to my abs. It's like intense rowing. I like to rep out with it occasionally. It's very intense on the abs and rear delts.
The top of the pullover movement is upper back blast and feels much like a dumbbell pullover. All those muscles that tie into your armpit and lat are blasted by doing partial reps at the top of the pullover. Weights are light as you're in a position of weak leverage at the top of the arc.
The Slo-Mo training camp has discussed the benefits of the pullover machine. The machine lends itself to doing slow motion reps if you desire. Actually performing the first reps super slow on any exercsie is a good idea, but especially on the pullover. As you tire, start to push harder with more momentum, you may not even be movng faster (as you are tired) but the "feeling" is one of faster exertion. Again this is a great way to perfrom any set: start slow and end "fast" or at normal rep tempo(even though you are not actually moving fast).
I think the pullover deserves as much attention as the squat and bench press. If you dedicate yourself to this exercise it will pay back bigtime. Your shoulder joints need time to strengthen once you begin a program of pullovers, so take it easy. It's easy to hurt the rotator cuff with sloppy form or improper warm-ups or just plain over use.
One more word of caution. Under your trapezius in your upper back are a set of small stabilizing muscles that are used to counter balance your arms (as they push from the elbow) as you perform the superpullover. You can easily pull these muscles, even as an advanced person. Be sure to warm up carefully. Be on guard for this as you learn the movement.
A good variation is actually grabbing the bar with an underhand grip and doing bottom arc rows. Let the bar come up 14 inches and then pull back down to the abs. This is a really nice feel and using the hands lets you pile on some weight. For the most part I try my best to NOT use my hands while doing pullovers. I really push hard against the pads and isolate my back, my hands are lying on the bar but not pulling.
I was able to purchase a used Super pullover machine off of ebay for $600 which included shipping from California. I see them quite a bit online and they are affordable.
:tu:
Learning to master the pullover machine can add more than just variety to your upper body workouts. The brain child of Nautilus founder Arthur Jones, this machine offers a unique and complete upper body workout. Built in the late 60's and marketed in the 70's to the public, this was the first truly innovative machine in over 100 years. Jone's created it in a quest to build the "perfect exercise" machine devoid of sticking points and the leverage flaws of traditional machines and free weights and with a full range of motion.
If you can find one, and most decent gyms have one, a super pullover machine (Nautilus makes them, Camstar, Cybex, Maxicam, MED-X as well, HAMMER STRENGTH currently makes a plate loaded one) is an opportunity to benefit from a fantastic exercise: the machine pullover.
Start slowly with the Super pullover exercise with light weights and give yourself months (not weeks) to build up to heavy weights. And trust me, you will build up. This exercise works the entire torso. It will be worth it. Be careful with your shoulders. This exercise should always be performed with control. No jerking movements. That being said I do perform semi-fast reps while doing 1/3 bottom movements, which I will describe in a moment. Those are safe. The full movement I do SLOW.
Super Pullover Training:
Sit upright in the machine. Have your shoulders in line with the pivot of the machine. Generally you have to sit a little lower than you might think to get this position right. Experiment for a few minutes with the seat height adjustment till you feel you are in the correct groove while performing the pullover movement. Relax the hands and push from the back of the triceps against the pad. Let your back contract as you push against the resistance. Don't hunch forward (excessively) or or lean forward as you bring the bar down. Sit upright. As you finish the movement you can lean slightly forward contracting the abs and chest as you complete the movement. Hold the bar at your abs for a pause and then raise the bar very slowly.
How far should you go back? Not too far. The machine can hurt your shoulders with it's greater than normal arc or range. Raise the bar back to about the position you would be if you were at the top of a lat pull. Don't risk going back any further.
The pullover machine can work the back and lats like nothing else as it takes the hands and arms out of the equation as much as possible. The full range movement is like a chin, a row, and pullover all at the same time. Work hard on mastering the superpullover. It will build your torso in a unique and powerful way. There is truthfully nothing else like it.
THE PARTIAL RANGES
The partial ranges (the top of the arc, the middle of the arc and the bottom of the arc) can be used as exercises all by themselves, with different weight schemes. Move slow during your reps. The bottom of the movement is the strongest point and you can load up the weights. I love to do these bringing the bar up about 14 inches from the bottom, then jamming it back down to my abs. It's like intense rowing. I like to rep out with it occasionally. It's very intense on the abs and rear delts.
The top of the pullover movement is upper back blast and feels much like a dumbbell pullover. All those muscles that tie into your armpit and lat are blasted by doing partial reps at the top of the pullover. Weights are light as you're in a position of weak leverage at the top of the arc.
The Slo-Mo training camp has discussed the benefits of the pullover machine. The machine lends itself to doing slow motion reps if you desire. Actually performing the first reps super slow on any exercsie is a good idea, but especially on the pullover. As you tire, start to push harder with more momentum, you may not even be movng faster (as you are tired) but the "feeling" is one of faster exertion. Again this is a great way to perfrom any set: start slow and end "fast" or at normal rep tempo(even though you are not actually moving fast).
I think the pullover deserves as much attention as the squat and bench press. If you dedicate yourself to this exercise it will pay back bigtime. Your shoulder joints need time to strengthen once you begin a program of pullovers, so take it easy. It's easy to hurt the rotator cuff with sloppy form or improper warm-ups or just plain over use.
One more word of caution. Under your trapezius in your upper back are a set of small stabilizing muscles that are used to counter balance your arms (as they push from the elbow) as you perform the superpullover. You can easily pull these muscles, even as an advanced person. Be sure to warm up carefully. Be on guard for this as you learn the movement.
A good variation is actually grabbing the bar with an underhand grip and doing bottom arc rows. Let the bar come up 14 inches and then pull back down to the abs. This is a really nice feel and using the hands lets you pile on some weight. For the most part I try my best to NOT use my hands while doing pullovers. I really push hard against the pads and isolate my back, my hands are lying on the bar but not pulling.
I was able to purchase a used Super pullover machine off of ebay for $600 which included shipping from California. I see them quite a bit online and they are affordable.
:tu: