Dumbbell Floor Press
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and hold a dumbbell in each hand above your chest. Lower the dumbbells slowly until your upper arms touch the floor, pause briefly, then press back up hard.
The floor press is the dumbbell bench press on the floor, for anyone without a bench. Chest and triceps are the prime movers and the front delt works with them — the same muscles as on a bench, through the top half of the same range of motion.
The floor sets the end point: your upper arm lands, and that is where the downward movement stops. On a bench the range carries on from there and the chest is stretched further. The trade-off is that every rep on the floor has exactly the same depth, and the brief unloading at the bottom lets you start each rep from a dead stop instead of bouncing out of it.
Picking the dumbbells up and setting them down is part of the exercise. Your legs bring them into position and carry them back down, so your torso stays stable while they move.
From the studio: On the floor I do about five more reps per set than on a bench, to make up for the shorter range. If you plan to train this long term, I recommend getting a weight bench — it gives your pressing more variety. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Sit on the floor with the dumbbells, rest them on your thighs and lie back in one movement, driving your knees up as you go so your thighs kick the dumbbells into the start position. That gets you down flat without your shoulders having to lift the weight.
Knees bent, feet flat on the floor, back flat on the floor. The dumbbells sit above your chest, palms facing each other or turned slightly forward.
Now lower the dumbbells slowly until your elbows are at about 90 degrees and your upper arms touch the floor. Pause briefly there, then press up hard. At the end of the set, reverse the same way: dumbbells to your chest, knees up, thighs carry them back down — or set them down carefully beside you.
The three cues
- Lie down in a solid position — knees bent, feet flat
- Hold the dumbbells steady above your chest
- Lower slowly until your upper arms rest on the floor, pause, press up hard
- Use your legs to get the dumbbells into position and back down
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your upper arms drop hard onto the floor | Lower slowly so your upper arms land under control, pause briefly, then press back up. |
| The dumbbells drift up towards your shoulders | The dumbbells stay in line with your chest. Once they reach your shoulders, the delts take over the work from your chest. |
| You lift the dumbbells into the start position with your shoulders | Your legs do that: dumbbells on your thighs, lie back in one movement and drive them up with your knees. |
| Your lower back lifts off the floor | Brace your abs, keep your feet flat, and keep your back down. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Light dumbbells | Practise the movement down to the floor and the brief pause at the bottom. Move on when every rep looks the same. |
| Full range to the floor | Lower slowly until your upper arms rest on the floor, pause, press up hard — the same on every rep. |
| Heavier dumbbells | Once tempo and depth stay clean on every rep, add weight in small steps. |
Reps and load
Choose a weight that lets your upper arms land under control and lets you hold the brief pause at the bottom.
With a bench, do the Dumbbell Bench Press instead. On the floor it pairs well with push-ups and the Dumbbell Floor Pullover.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Chest M. pectoralis major | Prime mover | Brings the upper arm across the chest and drives the dumbbell up |
| Triceps M. triceps brachii | Prime mover | Straightens the elbow and takes the dumbbell through the last few centimetres |
| Front delt M. deltoideus, pars clavicularis | Synergist | Brings the upper arm forward and supports the chest through the press |
| Rotator cuff M. subscapularis, M. infraspinatus and others | Stabiliser | Keeps the head of the humerus centred while the dumbbell sits above the shoulder |
| Abs M. rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | Keeps the torso still and the back on the floor |
Chest and triceps are the prime movers and the front delt works with them. The floor marks the end of the downward movement.
Explained in full
Andreas shows dumbbell pressing on the floor for when there is no bench: the position, the way down to the floor and how to pick the dumbbells up and set them down safely. · 0:45
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Kirk BJC, Wills JA, Glen B, Doyle TLA. (2026). Isometric floor press: a valid, reliable, and practical field-based assessment of upper-body strength. J Strength Cond Res, ahead of print. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005585 — Tests the isometric floor press as a field assessment against the one-rep maximum in the bench press. At a 90-degree elbow angle the relationship was closest (r = 0.887) and repeatability was high (ICC 0.912 to 0.983). The basis for describing the floor press as a full pressing exercise without a bench. Measured isometrically and with a barbell, not dumbbells; there is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: Validierungsstudie)
Stastny P, Gołaś A, Blazek D, Maszczyk A, Wilk M, Pietraszewski P, Petr M, Uhlir P. (2017). A systematic review of surface electromyography analyses of the bench press movement task. PLoS One 12(2):e0171632. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171632 — A review of surface EMG in the bench press: pectoralis major and triceps brachii show similarly high activity, both above the front deltoid. The basis for the muscle table. Measured on a bench, not on the floor; there is no EMG study of the floor press itself. (Evidence type: Systematic review)
Fischer J, Burger C, Manieu Seguel JA, Rodoplu C, Paternoster FK, Tilp M, Konrad A. (2025). Acute muscle excitation response across various bench press ranges of motion. Sci Rep 15(1):14105. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-98354-9 — Compares full-range bench press with the upper and lower halves of the range in 19 men. The upper half — geometrically the part the floor press covers — produced the highest mean triceps excitation, and both partial ranges exceeded the full range for chest and front delt. The basis for saying the chest is fully involved on the floor. An acute single measurement with a barbell in young trained men; no multi-week training outcome. (Evidence type: EMG)
Wolf M, Androulakis Korakakis P, Piñero A, Mohan AE, Hermann T, Augustin F, Sapuppo M, Lin B, Nippard J, Refalo MC, Swinton PA, Schoenfeld BJ. (2025). Lengthened partial repetitions elicit similar muscular adaptations as full range of motion repetitions during resistance training in trained individuals. PeerJ 13:e18904. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.18904 — 30 trained people trained the upper body for eight weeks with a lengthened partial range versus full range, one condition per side. Muscle thickness and endurance developed the same — with the same number of sets and reps. The basis for labelling Andreas' five extra reps as from the studio: no study tests whether extra reps make up for a shorter path. Eight weeks, trained people, cable and dumbbell exercises, no floor press. (Evidence type: Trainingsstudie)
Pallarés JG, Hernández-Belmonte A, Martínez-Cava A, Vetrovsky T, Steffl M, Courel-Ibáñez J. (2021). Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports 31(10):1866–1881. DOI: 10.1111/sms.14006 — A meta-analysis of 16 studies: full-range training produced more strength (ES = 0.56) and more lower-body muscle growth (ES = 0.88) than partial range. The basis for Andreas' recommendation to get a bench long term. Mostly lower-body studies; upper-body data are thinner and less consistent. (Evidence type: Meta-analysis)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.