Intermediate

Dumbbell Floor Press

Pressing from the floor caps the range when the triceps touch down, taking the deep stretch off the shoulders and emphasizing the mid-range and lockout. Using dumbbells adds a stabilization demand and lets each arm work independently, which is easy on cranky shoulders. It is a great option for lockout strength, home training, or pressing around a shoulder that dislikes deep bench positions.

Equipment
Dumbbell
Body part
Chest
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Horizontal Press
Muscles worked
Target
Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Secondary
Deltoid Anterior, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
Tertiary
Pectoralis Major Clavicular

How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs.

  2. 2

    Roll back to lying flat, using your knees to guide the bells into position.

  3. 3

    Set the shoulder blades and hold the dumbbells over the chest.

  4. 4

    Lower until the upper arms rest lightly on the floor.

  5. 5

    Pause briefly, then press back up to lockout.

  6. 6

    Keep the wrists stacked and the elbows tucked to about forty-five degrees.

Tips

  • Let the triceps settle on the floor without slamming the elbows down.
  • Keep a short pause on the floor to remove any bounce.
  • Use a controlled leg-assisted setup to get heavy dumbbells into place safely.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Rolling back with the dumbbells held away from your body rather than tight against your thighs, which is how shoulders get wrenched on the way down.
  • One elbow settling heavier and earlier than the other means the two arms are stopping at different depths, and the side-to-side gap you came here to fix gets trained in.
  • Elbows drifting out toward shoulder height as they touch down park the joint at end range with the floor blocking any escape. Keep them near 45 degrees from your ribs.
  • Do not end the set by dropping the bells out to the sides with straight arms. Bring your elbows down first, then release, or the weight wrenches the shoulder into horizontal abduction.
  • Picking a load you cannot get into position alone. Rolling back with the bells on your thighs only works up to a point, so the setup rather than the press sets your ceiling here.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the dumbbell floor press should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of 8 to 10, counting a full second on the floor before each press. If you cannot hold that second, the reps are running together and the set is finished. Add one rep per set each session until all three sets reach 10, then move up a pair of dumbbells. Two floor-press sessions a week is reasonable when it is your main press at home, and one is enough when it sits behind a bench press.
What can I do instead of the dumbbell floor press at home?
A barbell floor press over low rack pins is the heavier version if you own a rack. Kettlebells stand in for dumbbells and change the balance slightly, which some shoulders prefer. With no weights at all, push-ups with your hands on a low step shorten the range in a similar way, and a band pressed from your back on the floor keeps tension through the same stroke.
What is the dumbbell floor press for, and when should I use a bench instead?
It builds mid-range and lockout pressing strength through a range that stops before your shoulder reaches its deepest position, which is why it suits home training and lifters working around a sore shoulder. Each arm working alone also keeps the sides honest. Use a bench instead when you want maximum chest growth, because the deep stretch a bench allows is exactly the part the floor removes, and when you have a spotter and want to load the movement heavily.

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