Floor Press (How To, Muscles Worked, Benefits)

The Barbell Floor Press is a bench press variation performed while lying flat on the floor. It limits the range of motion compared to a traditional bench press, placing more emphasis on the triceps and reducing stress on the shoulders.

It’s a great tool for building lockout strength and improving pressing mechanics, especially for lifters managing shoulder issues or looking to strengthen the top portion of their press.

Primary Muscles Worked: Triceps Brachii, Pectoralis Major
Secondary Muscles Worked: Anterior Deltoids, Core Stabilizers
Equipment Needed: Barbell and Rack (or spotter for hand-off)

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How To Floor Press

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set-Up:
   • Lie flat on the floor with your legs extended or knees bent (both are fine—choose what feels more stable).
   • Position yourself under a racked barbell so your eyes are directly under the bar.
   • Use a standard bench press grip—just outside shoulder width.
   • Unrack the bar and bring it directly over your chest with arms fully extended.
2. Execution:
   • Lower the bar slowly until your upper arms lightly touch the floor—your elbows should not slam or rest.
   • Pause briefly with your triceps on the floor, maintaining tension.
   • Press the bar back to the starting position by driving through your triceps and chest.
3. Tips for Proper Form:
   • Keep your wrists stacked directly over your elbows during the press.
   • Maintain tension throughout your body—brace your core and keep your upper back tight.
   • Avoid bouncing your elbows off the floor.

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Key Benefits

• Builds triceps and lockout strength for pressing movements.
• Reduces strain on the shoulders due to the shorter range of motion.
• Teaches control and tightness at the bottom of a press.

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Modifications and Variations

• Easier Option:
  • Use dumbbells to allow more freedom for the shoulders.
  • Lower the weight and focus on strict control and pause at the bottom.
• Harder Option:
  • Add a longer pause on the floor to eliminate momentum.
  • Use bands or chains to add variable resistance.
  • Perform with legs extended to increase core demand and eliminate leg drive.

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Common Mistakes

• Bouncing Elbows Off the Floor: This takes tension off the muscles and increases injury risk—pause with control.
• Flaring Elbows Too Wide: Keep elbows at about a 45-degree angle from your body.
• Lack of Upper Back Tension: Stay tight to control the bar path and keep your press efficient.

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Reps and Sets Recommendations

• For Strength and Lockout Power: 4–5 sets of 3–6 reps with moderate to heavy weight.
• For Hypertrophy: 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps with a slight pause at the bottom.
• As an Accessory Movement: 2–3 sets of 10–12 reps, especially after bench or overhead pressing.

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Floor Press Variations

Dumbbell Floor Press

Dumbbell Floor Press is arguably the more popular version of the two different Floor Press variations probably due to its much easier setup.

The movement itself is basically exactly the same, just using dumbbells in place of a barbell.

Floor Press Alternatives

Need a substitute for Floor Press? Here are a couple of alternatives you may able to use in its place:

(Need more options? Here are some of my favorite Floor Press alternatives.)

Close Grip Bench Press

Considering Floor Press is essentially Close Grip Bench Press laying on the floor, it’s easy to see why it would be an obvious alternative.

If you have a bench, and boards, and really want to mimic a Floor Press you can do a Close Grip Board Press. You’ll need at least one, preferably two, spotters to pull this one off though. One to spot you and one to hold the boards in place while you bench.

Dips

Dips will always be one of my favorite alternatives for any movement that emphasizes the triceps. Dips are a strength-building powerhouse of an exercise especially if you include weighted dips.

If you want to build a big bench, make sure you’re incorporating Dips into your workout plan.

More Links and Info

Looking for more upper body strength building exercises? Horton Barbell has dozens of Upper Body Lifts in its Exercise Library.

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