10 Best Supine Chest Throw Alternatives When You Lack a Medicine Ball
Can't do the Supine Chest Throw? Use close-grip bench press, floor press, skull crushers (lying triceps extensions), diamond push-ups, or bench dips to target the triceps. Keep elbows tucked, drive force through elbow extension, and cue scapular stability so the long head and lateral head receive load without compensatory shoulder extension.
Original Exercise: Supine Chest Throw
How to Perform Supine Chest Throw
- 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.
- Begin with the ball on your chest, held with both hands on the bottom.
- Explode up, extending through the elbow to throw the ball directly above you as high as possible.
- Catch the ball with both hands as it comes down.
Pro Tips
- Category: Plyometrics
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Supine Chest Throw Alternatives
1. Dumbbell Floor Press
94.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lay on the floor holding dumbbells in your hands. Your knees can be bent. Begin with the weights fully extended above you.
- 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.
- Pause at the bottom, and then bring the weight together at the top by extending through the elbows.
2. Dumbbell Close-grip Press
93.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
- Using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, slowly lower the dumbbells to your side until they are about level with your chest.
- As you exhale, use your triceps to lift the dumbbells back to the starting position.
3. Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press
93.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and your arms extended straight up over your chest.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press
93.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
- Extend your arms straight up over your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- As you lower the dumbbells, twist your wrists so that your palms face towards you at the bottom of the movement.
5. Close-Grip Dumbbell Press
93.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench.
- 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.
- 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.
- Initiate the movement by lowering the dumbbell to your chest.
- Return to the starting position by extending the elbows.
6. Dumbbell Lying Elbow Press
91% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other and arms extended straight up over your chest.
- Lower the dumbbells towards your shoulders by bending your elbows, keeping your upper arms stationary.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then press the dumbbells back up to the starting position by extending your elbows.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Dumbbell Lying Extension (across Face)
91% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight up above your chest, palms facing each other.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head until your forearms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then contract your triceps to bring the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press
90.7% 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.
9. Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
90.7% 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. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
90.7% 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.
Why You Might Need a Supine Chest Throw Alternative
You might substitute the Supine Chest Throw because you lack a medicine ball, have shoulder or wrist pain, or prefer steady loading over ballistic work. Substitutes let you control joint stress and emphasize isolated elbow extension to load the triceps’ long and lateral heads. For rehab choose paused floor presses to limit shoulder ROM; for strength select close-grip bench presses to increase load across the triceps and pec minor. Use a technique cue—keep the elbows close to the ribcage and drive the forearm through the bar—to prevent shoulder substitution and ensure the triceps, not the pecs or deltoids, carry the load.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Match the substitute to your goal: choose explosive variations (plyo push-ups) to preserve power, or heavy compound lifts (close-grip bench) for maximal strength. Consider range of motion, joint tolerance, and loading capacity—floor presses shorten shoulder ROM and reduce translation, while skull crushers increase triceps isolation but load the elbow more. Check biomechanics: prefer exercises that emphasize elbow extension with limited shoulder extension when rehabbing the shoulder. Cue your technique: brace the core, tuck elbows to 45 degrees or less, and press through a stable scapular base to maximize triceps activation while minimizing compensatory movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Supine Chest Throw work?
The Supine Chest Throw primarily targets the triceps through rapid elbow extension, with secondary activation of the pecs and anterior deltoids for stabilization. It also recruits the serratus and scapular stabilizers during the throwing phase to transfer force from the torso to the upper limb.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Supine Chest Throw?
Diamond push-ups are the best bodyweight alternative for triceps emphasis; place hands close under the sternum and keep elbows tucked. Maintain a neutral spine, brace the core, and press by driving the forearms back to maximize medial and lateral head activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Supine Chest Throw?
Yes. You can build triceps mass and strength with heavy compound presses (close-grip bench or floor press) and targeted isolation (skull crushers or overhead triceps extensions). Progressively increase load, volume, and time under tension while maintaining strict elbow-extension technique to stimulate hypertrophy.
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