Barbell Floor Presses
Just ditch the bench and instead set up on the floor to limit the range of motion.
Barbell floor presses. As the barbell descends towards the chest the upper arms will contact the. The floor press is performed by using a barbell kettlebell dumbbell or a trap bar. Lie with your back flat against the floor. The floor press actually predates the bench press.
The barbell floor press is an upper body exercise for the chest shoulders and triceps. People learned to bench a barbell off the floor before benches were even invented. Here are three variations to consider. When performed on the floor the range of motion of the exercise is limited to reduce the strain placed on the shoulder joint.
The floor press is the original horizontal barbell press even predating the bench press. If there is a lot of weight on the bar you ll hurt your elbows or arms if you go down too quickly. Grab a barbell off a squat rack or have a partner hand you the barbell and. In fact i use this exercise as a bench pres.
The key with a barbell is to lower it slowly to the ground. The bench press is the fuller range of motion lift that allows for the chest triceps and anterior shoulders to press the barbell where as the floor press limits the amount of chest involvement. Imagine you are completing a normal bench press lowering the bar to your chest and pulling your scapula together in the process. At one time lifters attacked the lift with gusto putting up some impressive numbers including george hackenschmidt s 361 pound strict floor press back in 1899.
The floor press can be used in a variety of grip widths but the most effective will about 1 2 inches in from the first notch on your barbell. 1 barbell floor press. The exercises are obviously similar.