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Barbell floor press

What is a barbell floor press?

A barbell floor press is a press performed lying on the floor. The backs of the upper arms meet the floor to mark the bottom of each repetition. This guide uses a rack to unrack and return the bar.

Exercise illustration: Supine floor press with upper arms on the floor at the bottom and arms extended at the top.

How do you perform a barbell floor press?

Set up

  1. Place the rack hooks within reach from the floor and set safeties to catch a failed rep without trapping you. Use a spotter when available.
  2. Lie beneath the bar with your upper back supported and knees bent, feet planted. Take an even grip and unrack above your chest.

Execution

  1. Lower until the backs of your upper arms make gentle contact with the floor. Keep the forearms under the bar.
  2. Pause without bouncing your arms or relaxing your grip and torso.
  3. Press to straight arms, keeping your shoulders and upper back settled.
  4. Repeat with the same bottom position, then guide the bar into both hooks.

Common mistakes

  • Crashing the elbows into the floor

    Slow the descent and use a load you can stop softly.

  • Improvising an unrack from loose supports

    Use a stable rack and checked safeties; do not balance the bar on makeshift objects.

Where it fits in a session

Use it in the pressing portion of the session with the rack and safeties checked beforehand.

Keep your grip and knee position consistent. Stop each descent gently on the upper arms rather than bouncing off the floor.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Variations

  • Anatomical illustration of a barbell bench press, two frames side by side. A figure with the skin removed to show the muscles lies on a flat bench inside an upright rack, feet flat on the floor, holding a loaded barbell with a grip a little wider than the shoulders. In the left frame the bar is down at the chest with the elbows bent and flared out to about forty-five degrees; in the right frame the arms are pressed to straight above the chest. The pectoralis major is shaded red in both frames, with the shading reaching up over the front of the shoulder in the pressed frame. The triceps on the back of the upper arm is not shaded. The grip width and elbow angle in the drawing are one option among several, not a prescription.
    Bench pressUses a bench and a chest-touch bottom position.

Frequently asked questions

Is this guide for dumbbells?

This guide covers the barbell version. Dumbbells require a different way to get the weights into position and set them down.

Should the bar touch my chest?

Use gentle upper-arm contact with the floor as the stopping point. Body proportions and grip determine whether the bar also touches the chest; do not force extra depth.

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