Floor press: strengthen your bench press mid-range
For many lifters, the bench press stalls in the mid-range, not off the chest. The floor press exposes that weak spot honestly: less cheating, less momentum and more work for the triceps.
Why does the floor press help?
CriticalBench`s website has covered chains, bands, blocks, bench shirts, grip strength and speed training. But one old and very practical accessory exercise often stays in the shadows: the floor press.
The simple truth is that the floor takes away part of the range of motion. Your elbow touches the ground, the stretch is interrupted and you can’t bounce the barbell off your chest. That is where the value of the exercise comes from. It teaches you to press from the spot where the barbell slows down for many lifters.
Dave Tate has described the floor press as a high-effort exercise that improves the mid-range of the full bench press and builds triceps strength. Followers of Westside have used the same idea: a pause at the bottom, a strong start and a controlled lockout.
Bench press: 3 floor variations
1. Floor press with dumbbells
Lie on the floor and have your training partner hand you the dumbbells. Lower your arms until your elbows touch the floor. Then press the dumbbells back up until your arms are straight and your elbows lock out.
2. Floor press with a barbell
T-Nation described it as a time-tested, max-effort upper-body exercise. The most convenient way to do it is in a power rack. Set the safety pins at a height where you can pick up the barbell yourself and, if needed, safely put it back.
Lower the barbell until your triceps touch the floor. Pause briefly and press the barbell straight up. The classic approach is sets of 3–5 reps, adding weight up to a one-repetition max.
Another option is to work up through a warm-up and a light pyramid to 60% of your maximum weight. From there, add 10 kg chains to the barbell, one 10 kg chain on each side, and continue in the 3–5 rep range. If your goal is specifically mid-range strength and speed, do the exercise with the barbell only.
3. The floor skull crusher
This is the same exercise as on a bench, except that you lie on the floor. The weight is lowered behind your head so deep that the plates touch the floor, and then brought back up from there. Translator’s note: powerlifters lock out; for bodybuilders, I don’t see a reason to lock out on every rep. This movement gives the triceps both speed and strength.
How do you do the floor press correctly?
You can do the floor press in two ways. The first is with straight legs. You will be able to press considerably less than on a bench, because your legs give you no help. There is little room to cheat. That is exactly why the straight-leg floor press shows your upper-body strength very honestly.
The second option is with your legs bent and your lower back slightly arched. Many pressers do it this way, because the body position partly resembles a decline bench press. The bigger the bridge a lifter takes, the more the position changes. I would use both, but the straight-leg version slightly more often.
Don’t go too high on the reps. Sets of ten can be a nice change of pace, but the main work of the floor press is short and intense. Translator’s note: I’ve read in several places that 3–5 reps is the optimal rep range for the floor press.
Bench press and old-school strength
The floor press was born before the regular bench press. The version of the bench press we know today was invented in the middle of the nineteenth century, but even before that, people lay on the ground and pressed weight up.
The exercise returned to prominence in powerlifting when former bench press record holder Jesse Kellum used it. At 95 kg, he pressed 330 kg, in a shirt of course, although the shirts of that era weren’t as “magical” as today’s. Jesse Kellum quickly saw that the floor press adds to the regular bench press.
In training videos, Ryan Kennelly has floor pressed with a narrow grip and tens of kilos of chains on the barbell. Dave Waterman`s 305 kg floor press is still regarded among old-school powerlifters as one of the most impressive displays of upper-body strength.
The book “Power to the People” likewise emphasizes a simple selection of strength exercises: the deadlift, the push press (a standing press with a bit of leg drive, known in gym slang as “swinging”), and the floor press. Three exercises, very little noise.
Bench press: practical tips
If your regular bench press has stalled, move part of the work to the floor for a while. Pause at the bottom, keep your shoulders under control and don’t bounce. The floor forces you to press honestly.
This exercise is especially useful when your sticking point is the lockout, meaning the final straightening of the arms. That’s where the triceps do most of the work. Since you can’t use momentum or a bounce off the chest, you have to put in real effort.
Think of it as a box squat for the bench press. Just as the box squat helps your regular squat, the floor press helps your regular bench press. It works the mid-range and lockout phases of the press thoroughly. And with your legs straight, you can’t get any help from them either.
FAQ: the floor press
Does the floor press replace the bench press?
It doesn’t have to. It’s an accessory exercise that helps when the mid-range or lockout of your regular bench press is weak.
Can you do the floor press with chains?
You can, but if your goal is mid-range strength and speed, a regular barbell is enough. Use chains once your technique is solid.
Which rep range works best?
According to the original recommendation, 3–5 reps work well. Keep your sets short, the weight solid and the pause at the bottom distinct.
Ben Tatar “The Floor Press – Strengthen the Midpoint of Your Bench Press”
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
Source: Turg.Fitness.ee
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