10 Best Dumbbell Floor Press Alternatives for Triceps Strength

The Dumbbell Floor Press is done lying on your back with dumbbells. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press, the Board Press and the Floor Press. Two harder versions, the Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press and the Close-grip Dumbbell Press, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The Dumbbell Floor Press stops the lowering phase as soon as your upper arm touches the floor, so the dumbbells never reach chest level the way they do on a bench. The Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press comes closest: it uses the same dumbbells and lets your arms travel further off a bench. If a barbell is what you have, the Floor Press keeps you on the ground and swaps two dumbbells for one bar.

Dumbbell Floor Press

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Dumbbell Floor Press

The steps for the Dumbbell Floor Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Triceps, with chest, shoulders · Dumbbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Lay on the floor holding dumbbells in your hands. Your knees can be bent. Begin with the weights fully extended above you.
  2. Lower the weights until your upper arm comes in contact with the floor. You can tuck your elbows to emphasize triceps size and strength, or to focus on your chest angle your arms to the side.
  3. Pause at the bottom, and then bring the weight together at the top by extending through the elbows.

The 10 Best Dumbbell Floor Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Dumbbell Floor Press on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench PressPlay demonstration

    1. Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press

    95% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the triceps.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and your arms extended straight up over your chest.
    3. Slowly lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
    4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
  2. Board Press

    2. Board Press

    95% match

    Triceps · Advanced · Compound

    A good swap when you have a barbell to work with, and it still works the triceps.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Begin by lying on the bench, getting your head beyond the bar if possible. One to five boards, made out of 2x6's, can be screwed together and held in place by a training partner, bands, or just tucked under your shirt.
    2. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement.
    3. You can take a standard bench grip, or shoulder width to focus on the triceps. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart.
    4. Lower the bar to the boards, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
  4. Dumbbell Twisting Bench PressPlay demonstration

    Progression

    4. Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press

    95% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the triceps.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
    3. Extend your arms straight up over your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
    4. Lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
    5. As you lower the dumbbells, twist your wrists so that your palms face towards you at the bottom of the movement.
    6. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then reverse the movement by pressing the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
    7. As you press the dumbbells up, twist your wrists back to the starting position with palms facing away from you.
    8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Dumbbell Floor Press

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Floor Press Alternative

Lying on the floor for the Dumbbell Floor Press means your upper arm hits the ground before the dumbbells reach your chest, which limits how far you can lower the weight. A bench removes that floor, so the Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press and the Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press use the same dumbbells and let your arms travel further before you press back up. If two dumbbells are not what your gym has, a barbell turns the press into the Floor Press, which keeps your upper arm on the ground, or the Board Press and Pin Presses, which put you on a bench and stop the bar at boards or rack pins instead. A medicine ball turns the same idea into a throw with the Supine Chest Throw.

How to Choose the Right Dumbbell Floor Press Substitute

If you already have dumbbells and a bench, take the Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press first: it is the same elbows-tucked dumbbell press as the Dumbbell Floor Press, just off a bench instead of the floor. The Close-grip Dumbbell Press uses one dumbbell held in both palms, with only your shoulders across the bench. With a barbell and a rack, the Floor Press stays on the ground like the Dumbbell Floor Press but swaps two dumbbells for one bar, while the Board Press and Pin Presses move you onto a bench and stop the bar at boards or rack pins. A medicine ball changes the goal entirely: the Supine Chest Throw asks you to release the ball at the top instead of controlling it back down.

Dumbbell Floor Press FAQ

What is the difference between the Dumbbell Floor Press and the Floor Press?

The Floor Press uses a barbell instead of dumbbells but keeps you lying on the ground, so your upper arm still stops your descent the same way it does on the Dumbbell Floor Press. The difference is the bar: one weight moving in both hands instead of two dumbbells moving independently.

Which alternative is best if I only have a medicine ball?

The Supine Chest Throw and the Medicine Ball Supine Chest Throw both replace the press with a throw: you drive the ball up, let it leave your hands at the top and catch it on the way down. The first has you throw from the floor with your knees bent, the second from a bench. Either one works once you have a medicine ball to throw and catch again.

Can I do the Dumbbell Floor Press at home?

Yes. The Dumbbell Floor Press needs nothing but a pair of dumbbells and floor space. If you also have a bench, a step or a sturdy surface to lie back on, the Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press, the Close-grip Dumbbell Press and the Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press use the same dumbbells.

How do I make the Dumbbell Floor Press harder without more equipment?

Every dumbbell swap here puts you on a bench, so the way to make it harder with nothing new is to change the Dumbbell Floor Press itself: tuck your elbows to shift more of the work onto your triceps, pause on the floor before every rep instead of touching and going, and press the dumbbells together at the top.

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