10 Best Floor Press Alternatives for Limited Equipment
If you can't do the floor press, choose moves that emphasize elbow extension and limit shoulder loading: close-grip bench press, dumbbell floor press, weighted dips, skull crushers, or close-grip push-ups. Cue: tuck elbows ~45° and drive through the palms to prioritize triceps activation while keeping the scapula packed.
Original Exercise: Floor Press
How to Perform Floor Press
- 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.
- 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.
- Press the bar back up as fast as you can, keeping the bar, your wrists, and elbows in line as you do so.
Pro Tips
- Category: Powerlifting
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Floor Press Alternatives
1. Board Press
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
2. Barbell Pin Presses
98.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Set up a barbell on a power rack at chest height.
- Stand facing the barbell and position yourself underneath it, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grip the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest, with your arms fully extended.
- Lower the barbell down towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
3. Barbell Jm Bench Press
95.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Barbell One Arm Floor Press
92.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Hold the barbell with one hand, palm facing up, and extend your arm straight up over your chest.
- Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.
5. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press
92% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing towards your feet.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.
6. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
92% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie back on a flat bench. Using a close grip (around shoulder width), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest. Tip: Make sure that - as opposed to a regular bench press - you keep the elbows close to the torso at all times in order to maximize triceps involvement.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your triceps muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
7. Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press
91.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the ez barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
91.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a flat bench with an EZ bar loaded to an appropriate weight.
- Using a narrow grip lift the bar and hold it straight over your torso with your elbows in. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position.
- Now lower the bar down to your lower chest as you breathe in. Keep the elbows in as you perform this movement.
- Using the triceps to push the bar back up, press it back to the starting position by extending the elbows as you exhale.
- Repeat.
9. Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
91.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a close grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
- Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
10. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press
91.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the ez barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
Why You Might Need a Floor Press Alternative
You may substitute the floor press for several reasons: shoulder pain from bar path or bench depth, no access to a barbell, a desire for greater ROM, or the need to target unilateral weakness. Biomechanically, the floor press shortens pec stretch and increases triceps torque through reduced shoulder horizontal adduction; alternatives can restore longer pec stretch or allow heavier loading. For example, close‑grip bench lets you load heavier to stress triceps via greater elbow extension torque, while neutral‑grip dumbbell presses reduce humeral rotation to ease shoulder impingement. Use cues like keeping the elbows tucked and a neutral wrist to preserve triceps emphasis and protect the shoulder.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on equipment, joint tolerance, and training goal. If you need maximal load for strength, pick close‑grip barbell bench (cue: keep elbows tucked ~45° and drive through the heels of the palms). For limited equipment, use single‑arm dumbbell floor presses to address imbalances (cue: brace the core and press with a neutral wrist). If you have shoulder pain, choose neutral‑grip dumbbell presses or machine dips to reduce rotational torque. For hypertrophy, emphasize time under tension and full controlled elbow extension—use slow eccentrics and 1–2 second pauses at lockout.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Floor Press work?
The floor press primarily targets the triceps via elbow extension, with secondary stress on the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid. Because floor depth limits shoulder horizontal adduction, you get higher triceps activation relative to a full-range bench press; cue: tuck elbows ~45° to maintain triceps emphasis.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Floor Press?
A close‑grip push‑up is the best bodyweight substitute for triceps emphasis: place hands under the sternum with a narrow width and tuck elbows 30–45°. Press through the palms to full lockout and control the eccentric to maximize triceps activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Floor Press?
Yes. You can achieve comparable triceps and upper‑arm growth with alternatives like close‑grip bench, weighted dips, dumbbell floor presses, and skull crushers combined with progressive overload. Ensure you progressively increase load or volume and maintain full, controlled elbow extension to stimulate hypertrophy.
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