10 Best Dumbbell Floor Press Alternatives for Triceps Strength

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.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell Floor Press

Dumbbell Floor Press
Primary Muscle
Triceps
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Chest, Shoulders
How to Perform Dumbbell Floor Press
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Powerlifting
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Compound

Ranked Dumbbell Floor Press Alternatives

Best Match
Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press

1. Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press

95.4% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Board Press

2. Board Press

95.4% Match
Triceps Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Floor Press

3. Floor Press

95.4% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the j-hooks so they are at the appropriate height to rack the bar. Begin lying on the floor with your head near the end of a power rack. Keeping your shoulder blades pulled together; pull the bar off of the hooks.
  2. Lower the bar towards the bottom of your chest or upper stomach, squeezing the bar and attempting to pull it apart as you do so. Ensure that you tuck your elbows throughout the movement. Lower the bar until your upper arm contacts the ground and pause, preventing any slamming or bouncing of the weight.
  3. Press the bar back up as fast as you can, keeping the bar, your wrists, and elbows in line as you do so.
Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press

4. Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press

94.9% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell Jm Bench Press

5. Barbell Jm Bench Press

94.9% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
  2. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
  4. Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pin Presses

6. Pin Presses

94.9% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Pin presses remove the eccentric phase of the bench press, developing starting strength. They also allow you to train a desired range of motion.
  2. The bench should be set up in a power rack. Set the pins to the desired point in your range of motion, whether it just be lockout or an inch off of your chest. The bar should be moved to the pins and prepared for lifting.
  3. Begin by lying on the bench, with the bar directly above the contact point during your regular bench. 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.
  4. You can take a standard bench grip, or shoulder width to focus on the triceps. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart.
  5. Drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
Close-Grip Dumbbell Press

7. Close-Grip Dumbbell Press

94.7% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench.
  2. Ensuring that the dumbbell stays securely placed at the top of the bench, lie perpendicular to the bench with only your shoulders lying on the surface. Hips should be below the bench and your legs bent with your feet firmly on the floor.
  3. Grasp the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest at arm's length. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of the sides of the dumbbell. This will be your starting position.
  4. Initiate the movement by lowering the dumbbell to your chest.
  5. Return to the starting position by extending the elbows.
Supine Chest Throw

8. Supine Chest Throw

94.4% Match
Triceps Medicine-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. This drill is great for chest passes when you lack a partner or a wall of sufficient strength. Lay on the ground on your back with your knees bent.
  2. Begin with the ball on your chest, held with both hands on the bottom.
  3. Explode up, extending through the elbow to throw the ball directly above you as high as possible.
  4. Catch the ball with both hands as it comes down.
Floor Press With Chains

9. Floor Press With Chains

94.1% Match
Triceps Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the j-hooks so they are at the appropriate height to rack the bar. For this exercise, drape the chains directly over the end of the bar, trying to keep the ends away from the plates.
  2. Begin lying on the floor with your head near the end of a power rack. Keeping your shoulder blades pulled together, pull the bar off of the hooks.
  3. Lower the bar towards the bottom of your chest or upper stomach, squeezing the bar and attempting to pull it apart as you do so. Ensure that you tuck your elbows throughout the movement. Lower the bar until your upper arm contacts the ground and pause, preventing any slamming or bouncing of the weight.
  4. Press the bar back up as fast as you can, keeping the bar, your wrists, and elbows in line as you do so.
Medicine Ball Supine Chest Throw

10. Medicine Ball Supine Chest Throw

94.1% Match
Triceps Medicine-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back on a bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Hold the medicine ball with both hands, extending your arms straight up above your chest.
  3. Lower the medicine ball towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Explosively push the medicine ball upwards, extending your arms fully and throwing the ball as high as possible.
  5. Catch the medicine ball and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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