Barbell Floor Press

Body region

• Chest
• Arms

Muscles

Main

• Pectoralis Major
• Triceps

Helps

• Deltoid

Holds

• Infraspinatus
• Latissimus Dorsi
• Rectus Abdominis

Equipment

• Barbell
• Squat Rack

Technique

1. Set the bar on the safety arms of a rack at a height you can reach while lying on the floor.
2. Lie under the bar with eyes beneath it, knees bent or legs straight, and grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Unrack the bar over your chest with straight arms.
4. Lower until the upper arms rest on the floor, pause briefly, then press back up.

Cues

• Touch the floor with the upper arms, do not bounce off it.
• Tuck the elbows to about 45 degrees from the torso.
• Use a rack or a spotter: getting out from under a stuck bar on the floor is hard.

Common mistakes

• Slamming the elbows into the floor.
• Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides.
• Lifting the bar from the floor without a rack, which strains the shoulders.

Variations

• Close-Grip Barbell Floor Press
• One-Arm Barbell Floor Press

Alternatives

• Barbell Bench Press
• Close-Grip Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Press