What Is The Floor Press?

The floor press is a variation of the bench press exercise, done lying flat on the ground. The bench press is an exercise done to develop the size and strength of the chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles; the floor press works the same muscles, but comes with its unique benefits.

Why Not Just Bench Press?

Despite the fact that the bench press is the most common go-to chest building exercise, it may not be suitable for many individuals. The floor press is an uncommon variation that provides an alternative to the bench press, while still creating the much desired fitness improvements that the bench press does.

Why Should We Do The Floor Press?

The floor press is considered a safer version of the bench press. The reduced range of motion of the floor press reduces the strain on the shoulders, making it a viable alternative for those with shoulder discomfort. The floor press is also a “specific strength” builder for the bench press itself, as it stops at the middle of the range of motion for the bench press, allowing you to target this section of the press, in a much safer manner! Not only that, as the floor press removes the use of the legs from providing stability and force, it forces the arms to do more work; the kicker? That means you can build a bigger lift, while using relatively lighter weights.

How Can We Do The Floor Press?

The floor press can be done using dumbbells or a barbell.  When using a barbell, a barbell rack (full or half rack) aids in the setup, allowing you to get a similar unracking experience as with a normal barbell bench press. With dumbbells, it is recommended to roll them off a bench to get into a stable setup! All of these equipment are available in all our Gym Pods, located worldwide!

Do You Completely Rest Your Arm On The Floor During The Floor Press?

For the floor press, resting the arms on the floor during the exercise takes away a large amount of tension from the working muscles. For individuals looking to build explosiveness using the floor press, resting the arms completely can be performed. If you are uncertain about lifting the weight up after resting your arms, having it touch the ground but not resting completely allows you to keep tension on the working muscles through the exercise’s range of motion.

What Are Common Floor Press Mistakes?

The floor normally provides support to your arms during the floor press, but if you lose control of the weights and lower too fast, thus hitting the ground too hard, not only do you risk injuries but also take away the benefits arising from performing the floor press with good technique.

Do We Need A Spotter For The Floor Press?

Even though the floor press is a safer, effective alternative to the barbell bench press for building your chest and pressing muscles, it is important to bulletproof the setup by having a spotter. Any exercise where a considerably heavy amount of weight is held up should have spotters available to facilitate either assisting in the setup and execution of the exercise, or worse come to worse, removing the weight upon involuntary repetition failure.

Learn The Floor Press With The Gym Pod Academy!

If you’re unsure of how to fit the floor press into your program, whether to work around an injury or to build your numbers on the bench press, our trainers at the Gym Pod Academy are here to help! Aside from teaching you the exercise and reliably spotting for you, they can help you with integrating the exercise into your individualised program to create the best results for you.