Is the floor press better than the bench press?

Neither is better overall. The Barbell Bench Press trains the full range of the press, while the floor press cuts off the bottom to build lockout strength and give the shoulders a break, so most lifters use it alongside the bench rather than instead of it.

Should my legs be straight or bent?

Both are used. Straight legs, as shown here, remove nearly all leg drive and arch so the upper body does the work, while bent knees with the feet flat feel more stable. Pick one setup and keep it, so your loads stay comparable from week to week.

Should I be able to floor press more than I bench?

Not necessarily. The shorter range helps, but losing leg drive and the arch costs some strength, so many lifters press about what they bench or a little less at first. Lifters whose bench stalls near lockout usually find the floor press relatively weaker, while those who struggle off the chest often find it relatively stronger.

How do I set up the floor press without a rack?

With light weights, sit with your legs under the bar, roll it up your thighs to your hips, lie back and bridge slightly to bring it over your chest. Heavier sets belong in a power rack with the safety arms set low, or with a partner handing you the bar, and the Dumbbell Floor Press is much easier to set up alone.

Should I pause with my arms on the floor?

Yes, a brief pause with the upper arms resting on the floor is the standard way to do it. It removes any bounce, so each rep starts from a dead stop partway through the press, which is the part of the lift the exercise is meant to strengthen.

Barbell Floor Press

What Is the Barbell Floor Press?

Barbell Floor Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the chest and also engages the triceps and front shoulders. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you lie flat on the floor and press a barbell from above your chest to straight arms, with the floor ending each rep as soon as your upper arms touch down.

Because the floor stops the elbows, the bar never reaches the bottom of a normal Barbell Bench Press. Each rep begins from a dead stop partway through the press and finishes at lockout, which is why powerlifters use it to build the top half of their bench, and Westside Barbell lists it among its standard max effort bench press variations. The shorter range also keeps the shoulder out of the deep stretch at the bottom of a bench, so many lifters whose shoulders dislike full-range benching can still press heavy this way.

The chest still does most of the work, but with the bottom of the press removed, the triceps take a larger share of every rep. Lying flat with the legs extended along the floor, as shown here, takes away nearly all leg drive and back arch, so the upper body has to move the bar on its own. A closer grip shifts more of the work toward the triceps, much like the Barbell Bench Press (Close Grip). Compared with the Dumbbell Floor Press and Kettlebell Floor Press, the barbell locks both hands to one bar in an overhand grip, which allows heavier loads but gives the wrists and shoulders less freedom to find a comfortable path.

The floor press suits lifters who stall in the top half of the bench press, lifters working around shoulder discomfort at the bottom of the press, and anyone training without a bench who has a rack or a partner for the setup. If you are new to pressing, build a solid Barbell Bench Press or Dumbbell Floor Press first; the dumbbell version is also far easier to get into position alone.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Pectoralis Major: Primary
Deltoid: High
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Rhomboid Major: Low
Serratus Anterior: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Minimal

Instructions

Set the barbell on the hooks of a power rack at a height you can reach with straight arms while lying on the floor, and set the safety arms just below where the bar will stop at the bottom. Without a rack, have a partner hand you the bar.
Lie on your back under the bar so it sits over your lower chest. Extend your legs straight along the floor, slightly apart, and rest your head on the floor.
Grip the bar overhand, slightly wider than shoulder width, with your wrists stacked over your forearms.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the floor and brace your core.
Press the bar off the hooks until your arms are straight and the bar is over your shoulders.
Lower the bar under control toward your lower chest, keeping your upper arms about 45 degrees from your torso.
Stop when the backs of your upper arms touch the floor, with the bar a few inches above your chest. Pause briefly without relaxing.
Press the bar back up until your elbows are fully extended over your shoulders.
Repeat for the planned reps, then return the bar to the hooks.

Common Mistakes

Bouncing the elbows off the floor
Dropping the upper arms into the floor and rebounding jars the elbows and skips the dead-stop start the exercise is meant to train.
Flaring the elbows straight out
Letting the upper arms drift out to 90 degrees from the torso loads the front of the shoulder more than needed, so keep them about 45 degrees from your sides.
Bending the wrists back
Letting the bar roll toward the fingers strains the wrists and leaks force, so keep the bar stacked over the forearms.
Relaxing at the bottom
Letting the arms go slack on the floor loosens the shoulder blades and upper back, so the next rep starts from a weak position.
Lifting heavy without safeties
Pressing a heavy bar on the floor with no safety arms or spotter leaves no way out of a missed rep.

Injuries

Barbell Floor Press is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The floor ends each rep before the shoulder reaches the deep stretch at the bottom of a bench press, which is why lifters with sensitive shoulders often tolerate it well. The usual strain points are the front of the shoulder, the elbows and the wrists.

Keep your upper arms about 45 degrees from your torso rather than flared straight out, and lower them to the floor softly instead of dropping them into it, since bouncing jars the elbows and takes tension off the muscles. Keep the bar over your forearms so the wrists stay straight. The biggest barbell-specific risk is the setup: once you are under a heavy bar on the floor, a missed rep leaves it resting over your chest with nowhere to go, so press inside a power rack with the safety arms set just below the bottom position, or have a spotter.

If the barbell bothers your wrists or shoulders, switch to the Dumbbell Floor Press or Kettlebell Floor Press, where each hand can find its own path and a neutral grip is possible. As your shoulders allow, progress to the full-range Barbell Bench Press. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the front of the shoulder or in the elbow, or a pulling or tearing sensation in the chest or armpit.

Overview

Primary Focus: Chest
Equipment: Barbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the floor press better than the bench press?: Neither is better overall. The Barbell Bench Press trains the full range of the press, while the floor press cuts off the bottom to build lockout strength and give the shoulders a break, so most lifters use it alongside the bench rather than instead of it.
Q: Should my legs be straight or bent?: Both are used. Straight legs, as shown here, remove nearly all leg drive and arch so the upper body does the work, while bent knees with the feet flat feel more stable. Pick one setup and keep it, so your loads stay comparable from week to week.
Q: Should I be able to floor press more than I bench?: Not necessarily. The shorter range helps, but losing leg drive and the arch costs some strength, so many lifters press about what they bench or a little less at first. Lifters whose bench stalls near lockout usually find the floor press relatively weaker, while those who struggle off the chest often find it relatively stronger.
Q: How do I set up the floor press without a rack?: With light weights, sit with your legs under the bar, roll it up your thighs to your hips, lie back and bridge slightly to bring it over your chest. Heavier sets belong in a power rack with the safety arms set low, or with a partner handing you the bar, and the Dumbbell Floor Press is much easier to set up alone.
Q: Should I pause with my arms on the floor?: Yes, a brief pause with the upper arms resting on the floor is the standard way to do it. It removes any bounce, so each rep starts from a dead stop partway through the press, which is the part of the lift the exercise is meant to strengthen.