How to do a Floor Press
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Floor Press
Workouts with Floor Press
Instructions for Proper Form
An upper-body compound exercise focusing on the chest, triceps, and shoulders. Performed by lying on the floor and pressing a barbell upwards until the arms are fully extended, then lowering it back down. This movement limits the range of motion compared to a bench press, emphasizing the lockout phase of the press and reducing shoulder strain. Ideal for those looking to build upper body strength and muscle mass while minimizing shoulder joint stress.
- Lie your back onto the floor while squeezing your shoulder blades together and bending your knees to put your heels firmly on the ground.
- The floor should be in contact with your head, shoulders, and butt at all times and the barbell should be racked to arm length height.
- Unrack the barbell and position it overtop of your shoulders.
- Keeping your core braced by breathing into your stomach and flexing the abdominal muscles, flex your elbows while keeping them at a 45 degree angle from your torso.
- Once you have gently touched your elbows to the floor, exhale to return the barbell back to the starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Floor Press
1. Barbell Bench Press
99.2 mSCORESWAPPED 7,658 TIMESBench Press is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common upper body exercises. It’s a fantastic compound exercise that can help you build strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking upper body strength in general.
2. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 6,337 TIMESDumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
3. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 6,016 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
4. Dumbbell Floor Press
73.8 mSCORESWAPPED 4,654 TIMESThe Dumbbell Floor Press targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders, offering a safer alternative to the bench press by limiting the range of motion. This exercise is effective for strengthening the upper body, with a focus on the lockout portion of the press, enhancing tricep strength and reducing shoulder strain. Ideal for those with limited equipment or seeking to minimize shoulder stress while still engaging the chest and arms.
5. Push Up
94.5 mSCORESWAPPED 4,009 TIMESPush Ups may be the most recognizable exercises out there. It’s one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, and is a great way to develop functional strength in your upper body for pushing movements. It’s fantastic for beginners, or anyone with limited equipment, while still being a great addition for even the most seasoned lifters.
- Intermediate
- Chest
6. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 3,971 TIMESDumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
7. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 3,652 TIMESCable Crossover Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest. It’s a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly, and can easily be adapted to further isolate specific areas of the chest. Using cables to add resistance allows you to keep more consistent tension on your chest, as well as control the angle that the resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Cable Crossover
8. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 3,138 TIMESMachine Fly is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly. This isolation chest exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the shoulders. The use of a machine makes the exercise more stable allowing you to focus on exertion or learn the movement with minimal risk of injury. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to learn the movement, or advanced lifters looking to push this movement to it’s limit.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Fly Machine
9. Barbell Incline Bench Press
98.9 mSCORESWAPPED 2,830 TIMESBarbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on a standard Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, but this variation places much more emphasis on your shoulders and upper chest.
10. Hammerstrength Chest Press
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 2,471 TIMESHammerstrength Chest Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a Hammerstrength machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion. This can help you either learn the movement, or focus your efforts on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Hammerstrength (Leverage) Machine (all forms)