Barbell Bench Press vs Barbell Floor Press
The floor press is the same bench press, only you lie on the floor inside a power rack, and your elbows hit the floor before the bar would touch your chest.
| Barbell Bench Press | Barbell Floor Press | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscles | chest, front delts, triceps | triceps, chest, front delts |
| Equipment | Barbell | Barbell |
| Entry bar | 2/3 give the technique a couple of weeks | 2/3 give the technique a couple of weeks |
| Pick it when | You want the full lift, the most chest and strength in the competition movement. | Your lockout is weak or you want more triceps in your press. |
The main difference
On the bench you get the full range: the bar touches your chest, your feet push into the floor and help through whole-body tension. It's the main option for pressing strength and for the chest, which works hardest at the bottom.
On the floor the bottom of the movement is gone, your legs barely help, and every rep starts from a short pause on the floor. The load shifts to the triceps and the top half of the press, which is why people use it when the lockout is the weak point. Set the rack's safety arms just below where the bar sits at the bottom: on the floor you can't roll the bar off yourself.
Can you do both
Yes: the bench as your main lift, the floor press as an accessory on another day for 5–8 reps. When the bottom of the bench doesn't feel right, the shorter range from the floor often lets you keep pressing.
In which programs
Log both in the diary — your estimated max will show which one is growing faster for you.
Prefer Telegram? Open the bot — same diary.