This website uses cookies to improve your experience. So how does a floor press improve your strength for benching in competition ? The Floor Press also has the added benefit of being easy on the shoulders making it a good exercise to use during recovery from shoulder injury. Learn how your comment data is processed. He publishes a blog and offers online personal training at www.benbruno.com. So one dumbbell or two? They aid you in growing a full, thick chest; they add great variation to chest day, and it is a shoulder friendly exercise for those who may have had a past injury. It’s a great exercise for developing power and strength in a very specific range of motion. The Benefits – Expanded. In short, the floor press is a tool you need to have in your arsenal. If you're a bodybuilder who complains that you can't "feel" the bench press in, say, your chest or triceps, this will make you feel it. And when it starts to feel easy, it's far simpler—and safer—to make difficult again without having a spotter close at hand. But if you're by yourself, start with the dumbbells positioned vertically on your thighs and then bend your legs and lie backwards, using the momentum to fling the dumbbells into place. Try both and see what feels best. I often use it instead of the bench press for these guys. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. From there, go straight into four reps followed by a four-second hold, then three, then two, and finally one. Floor press what is it how to do benefits variations born dumbbell floor press benefits how to do pictures born workout floor press muscles worked exercise demo and benefits barbend floor press vs bench which one should you be doing barbend. The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional. In this article, I will be explaining the major benefits of the floor press. In the below video you can see the proper setup and execution of the barbell floor press. Beware: These burn! Where to begin? This is a great mechanical dropset, where you transition from a harder version of a movement to an easier one. Most liftings tend to hurt you back; floor pressing is an exception. ... Other benefits of strength training include enhanced fitness level, stronger bones, and better mental health. The floor press is one of our favorite bench press variations to build muscle, gain strength, and help break through training plateaus. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Here are five benefits of the floor press: Builds muscle mass in the chest, triceps, and shoulders; Increases overall pressing strength; Specifically boosts lockout strength How to do Floor Press with proper form and technique. Perform a single-arm dumbbell floor press with your legs straight and raised slightly off the floor to increase the demand on the core. It also doesn't have the same "How muchya" associations as the almighty barbell bench, so you can experiment with different variations without feeling self-conscious about using small(ish) weights. Plenty of people who experience lower back pain with traditional bench presses—in other words, plenty of people, period—find that moving to the floor often helps tremendously by reducing lumbar extension that comes from excessive arching. I like to do 5-6 reps of each exercise, but you can play around with the reps. Show your support by subscribing, sharing and giving a thumbs up! 4 Benefits of the Floor Press Here are four benefits of the floor press, regardless of which variation you choose. The floor press and the bench press should complement each other in your training regimen. The floor press has been used by powerlifters for 20 years to build Herculean strength in the upper body. The floor press you’ve come to know and love, but performed with dumbbells instead of a barbell. Well, Mr. Franco Columbu, it's still a great exercise for your triceps and lockout strength, just like any floor press variation. What's a Floor Press? Performing floor DB press at the perfect range of motion puts decent muscular strength on the triceps and chest which is often neglected in usual training. Eb says: The floor press is a great way to work on heavy-weight lockouts at the elbows for your standard bench press. At one time lifters attacked the lift with gusto, putting up some impressive … The change in your triceps will be evident in a short time. You can press with your legs straight or bend your knees. This may look like more of a core exercise than a press, but trust me, it's still a great upper-body strength builder. Floor presses are a pure upper body power movement. The floor press is an excellent exercise. Alternative: Floor press with chains, board press, dumbbell floor press Benefits Promotes muscles growth on your pecs and triceps, without causing much strain to your shoulders Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Although using the Floor Press for this purpose is effective to an extent, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Need a final reason? I could go on for a while. © 2020 Bodybuilding.com. Pressing with straight legs increases the core demand because it eliminates your ability to use leg drive. For one, it's a great option when you're in a crowded gym and the benches are taken. One of the benefits of the floor press is that it takes away much of the ability to drive with your legs that occurs during bench presses. I am a big fan of variability and anytime you can add new exercises to your program, build a wide range of motion and improve training protocols is a good idea.When adding the floor press into your program there are a few important benefits to keep in mind: Floor press takes many of the assistance muscles out of the lift that would normally be used in a powerlifting bench press, in particular when the floor press is done with straight legs there is no chance of leg drive and no arch. More importantly, it's a great alternative pressing variation for banged-up lifters who can't tolerate heavy barbell pressing week in and week out. Pressing one arm at a time also increases the core demands of the exercise substantially, as you have to brace to keep your torso steady. Posted on August 1, 2019 by Kohl Johnson. The only difference: Squeeze the dumbbells together so that they're touching. It also takes your back out of the equation, meaning that your force will come from your arms and chest, as opposed to your back. Using two dumbbells allows you to (duh) move double the weight, but using just one dumbbell offers a couple of advantages. Typically, the exercise is performed using a barbell, Swiss bar, or pair of dumbbells. Doing floor press with dumbbells allow controlling the range of motion. The floor press is one of the foundation movements of benching and the floor press been around far longer than the bench press (The bench press was invented during the mid 19th century). I was wondering how to include the floor press into my routine? leave any questions or ideas for future videos in the comments below. Now here's what you need to know. For folks with shoulder issues, the dumbbell floor press is usually better tolerated than the traditional bench press because you're able to use a neutral grip, and pressing on the floor limits the range of motion slightly. It’s like a bench press, only you lie on the floor instead of the bench. These are much harder than they look, so start light! It is an effective chest workout for those who do not have a … will help develop explosive power through the mid range of the lift with great carry over to a full range lift on the Bench Press. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). The floor press is typically used as an accessory exercise to improve the bench press, but it has its own benefits as a stand alone exercise. This reduces extension at the shoulder joint while still providing a good training effect for the pecs and triceps. It negates lower body drive and focuses all the stress on the upper body for gaining strength. better tolerated than the traditional bench press because you're able to use a neutral grip The floor press may have value for powerlifting, but I’m skeptical if the reduced range of motion allows for much bodybuilding value. It also works great as a finisher after your regular pressing workout. FMS testing for Powerlifting – available now, How to choose a good coach or personal trainer, Continuing Education in Fitness for Coaches. After you've done regular dumbbell floor presses for a while, you may reach a point where your progress starts to stall out, or you reach a strength level where you either max out the dumbbells at your gym or it just becomes too hard to get them into position. Click here to learn about DB floor press benefits! There are better triceps exercises available than a reduced range of motion bench press, but the specificity may help this portion of the range of motion during bench press competition. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. Muscle Building. All rights reserved. thanks! Or maybe everybody's doing it, but I just can't see them because they're down on the ground over next to the rack. Build Strength. You can see them in action in the video player above. Press your feet firmly into the floor or platform throughout the exercise. As I mentioned in "8 Moves For A Crazy-Strong Core," you can also cycle through all of these advanced variations one-by-one, making each one the centerpiece of your routine for a while until you feel like you've conquered it, then moving on to the next. Floor Press Benefits Performing the floor press involves powerful extension of your elbows and overloading your triceps with weights, which helps in developing huge arms while reducing undue joint stress. Here are the Floor Press variations I use with my athletes. This doesn't mean you have no choice other than heading back to barbells—which might not be an option if you've got jacked-up shoulders. The dumbbell floor press is the best version for strengthening and building your shoulder, arms and chest muscles. On the other hand, bending the knees may be a better option for folks with lower back pain. Kettlebell Floor Press The kettlebell floor press works your triceps and upper chest more than your shoulders. If you need help with your lockouts on things like presses, jerks, dips, or muscle-ups, floor presses might not be a bad idea. So why bother with this version of the press? Build your pressing power from the ground up, and you may never look back! DB floor press helps you build chest and triceps both at the same time. Should I be using the floor press as as accessory lift to bench press on M/F or should the floor press just be done by itself as the main exercise for the day? Floor Press is easy to spot, making it a good choice when your options for spotters is limited, allowing you to push bigger weights in a safe way instead of limiting your weight on the bench press due to safety reasons. Benefits of The Floor Press – Build Your Bench Press! Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Finally, for people looking to work their triceps who get elbow pain from skullcrushers and other extension variations, the dumbbell floor press is a great workaround. You know those dudes who do their bench presses with their feet on the bench? It causes lesser shoulder pain than the barbell floor press because it allows you to rotate your wrists inward. In all it comes out to 15 reps and 15 grueling seconds of isometric holds. Expect to feel your core the next day after the first time you try these. Trying to hoist super heavy dumbbells into position is a royal pain in the you-know-what. Start by performing dumbbell squeeze presses, and then transition directly to dumbbell floor presses when you fatigue. Advance by using varying weights from the 10 – 15 mark as you progress. Home Gym Exercises Simply train effectively! The benefits of the floor press are covered as well, which states increased triceps mass and strength, better lockout performance, and makes the case for the floor press as a shoulder saving pressing option. 5777 N Meeker Ave, Boise, ID 83713-1520 USA. Neither way is necessarily better, but each will change the dynamic of the exercise slightly. Bodybuilding.com℠ and BodySpace® are trademarks of Bodybuilding.com. Benefits of Dumbbell Floor Press 1. December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #1. The floor press is a pure upper body movement that allows you to press massive weights without undue shoulder stress, maximizing your training efficiency and protecting your shoulders for long-term training and strength gains. You might not believe it but Dumbbell floor Press predates all it cousins for building a killer triceps workout that suits for those prone to shoulder injuries. The Floor Press is primarily performed as a way to increase strength in this exact point. The dumbbell floor press is more than just the bench press's primitive cousin: It's a tension-generating, core-attacking strength builder of the first order. The floor press is easier on your shoulder joints than the bench press. Floor Press. The obvious difference between these two movements is that the floor press … If all of this makes it sound easy, don't be fooled. Powerlifting. If you're an athlete who doesn't bench but wants to develop your core and shoulder stability while building overall strength, this will do it. But I kinda doubt it. You can be sure of safely exercising your upper muscles with zero back pains afterwards. Ben Bruno lives and trains clients in West Hollywood, California. There are many similarities between the traditional flat bench press and the floor press (com And if your goal is to bench press ridiculous weights, the floor press can be used as a supplementary lift to your bench to all new levels.. This will allow you to understand how this exercise can help you and see if it is right for you! It's sort of like that, only much more stable, and you don't look like a complete tool. So now you're down on the ground with your bell or bells. Whats people lookup in this blog: Floor Bench Press Benefits; Floor Bench Press Barbell Benefits It is a particular favorite of mine for guys with long arms. This Floor Press video shows how to do a floor press with the more common knees bent version. What now? Blog Exercise Library Without Weights Bodyweight Exercises Arms Chest Back Shoulders Abs Legs Glutes Stretching Workout Plans Workout Routine Builder My Workout Routines. A heavy—or not so heavy—floor press can force you to generate just as much full-body tension as the bench press. 2. The floor press, which was covered extensively in a previous article, is a segmented (shorter range of motion) variation of the bench press, with the intent to target the top half of the movement. Perform five reps, followed by a five-second isometric hold in the bottom portion of the rep with the arms just off the floor. With the limited range of motion, and pause with the elbows at 90 degrees the Floor Press, Powerlifter performing a Floor Press in Training. Dumbbell Floor Press is not just some mull workout exercise that can serve as a stepping stone to develop other chest exercises, thereby benefiting both bodybuilders and powerlifters. Take advantage of that and … By removing leg drive you are isolating the upper body in particular the triceps to develop massive upper body power. Instead, try these more difficult variations, which decrease the stability or add isometric holds to allow you to get a great training effect with lighter loads. But it can be more than that. This  Floor Press video shows how to do a floor press with the more common knees bent version. The upper body strength builds fast because of the shorter distance to the floor. The Floor Press also has the added benefit of being easy on the shoulders making it a good exercise to use during recovery from shoulder injury. To make it even harder, lower the last rep as slowly as possible. This a great drill for people who struggle to feel their chest working with most bench pressing variations. Good news for anyone recovering from a shoulder injury and looking for an exercise that works the triceps and chest without undue stress. If you go with two dumbbells, the best way to get the dumbbells into position is to have a partner hand them to you. Experiment with different hand positions to figure out what feels best to you, but in general, utilizing a neutral grip with be easier on the shoulder joint. Be the first to receive exciting news, features, and special offers from Bodybuilding.com! It's harder to screw up than the barbell bench. Personally, I love the floor press. 2. Here are the main benefits of adding floor presses to your CrossFit or weightlifting program: 1. See all exercise benefits - muscles worked. The floor press has several benefits, including being able to prioritize the mid and top-end range of motion, allowing the shoulder joint to experience less … This is what I recommend most of the time, so try it first. Make sure to use a full range of motion on the press and try to keep your torso and legs as steady as possible for the duration of the set. From there, press the dumbbells 1-2 inches off your chest and hold that position for 30-60 seconds, making sure to keep the dumbbells pressed together the whole time. Once you have become comfortable with the floor press motion, you can reduce this drive further by extending your legs out straight in front of you. The dumbbell floor press is an oft-forgotten exercise that should get a lot more love than it does. What if you're the guy with perfectly healthy shoulders that's not lacking in upper chest development? If that combo looks like another great finisher on a long push day, you're right. Like other things in life, the hardest part can be getting it up. I will give 3 benefits and ensure you know how they relate to your training. The floor press is the original horizontal barbell press, even predating the bench press. The dumbbell floor press will strengthen your shoulders, build muscle mass, and improve your shoulder … Set up just as you would for a normal neutral-grip dumbbell press. including minimized leg drive and a major emphasis on improving raw upper body strength for the pecs First, you can use your other hand to help get the weight in place. This makes it sound easy, do n't look like a complete tool the next after. Sent - check your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of posts! Providing a good coach or personal trainer, Continuing Education in fitness for Coaches, so try it first exercise. Feel easy, it 's not lacking in upper chest development with your bell or bells that and … your. 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