Floor Press

Muscles Worked

How to Perform

1. 1

   Lie flat on the floor under a barbell in a rack set at an appropriate height. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat.

2. 2

   Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width and unrack it with straight arms.

3. 3

   Lower the bar until your upper arms gently touch the floor — this is your natural range-of-motion limit. Pause briefly without relaxing.

4. 4

   Press explosively back to lockout. The floor eliminates the bottom stretch, so focus on generating force from a dead stop.

Common Mistakes

• Flaring the elbows to 90 degrees, which places excessive stress on the shoulder joint. Keep them at 45-75 degrees.

• Bouncing the bar off the chest instead of pausing briefly at the bottom. Touch-and-go is fine, but bouncing risks rib and sternum injuries.

• Lifting the hips off the bench to get extra drive. This reduces the range of motion and defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Pro Tips

• Cue: "Bend the bar" — try to bend the barbell into a U-shape with your hands. This automatically engages your lats and tucks your elbows into a safer position.

• Pause for a half-second at the chest before pressing. Eliminating the bounce forces your muscles to generate more force and builds strength off the chest.

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