The Floor Press is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the chest and triceps, with the shoulders working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest, Triceps
Secondary musclesShoulders
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Floor Press
Sit on the floor with a dumbbell resting on each thigh and your legs extended.
Rock back onto your shoulders while bringing the dumbbells to your chest.
Bend your knees so your feet sit flat on the floor and your lower back stays down.
Press both dumbbells up over your chest until the arms are almost straight.
Lower under control until the back of your upper arms touches the floor and pause.
Press back up without bouncing and repeat for the prescribed reps.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Shortens the pressing range, which suits lifters with shoulder discomfort at full depth.
Loads the triceps heavily while still training the chest through the available range.
Needs only dumbbells and floor space, so it works in home and hotel gym settings.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bouncing the elbows off the floor, which loses tension and loads the elbow joint sharply.
Clashing the dumbbells together at the top, which destabilizes the shoulders under load.
Locking the elbows out hard each rep, which hands the work from the muscles to the joints.
Arching the lower back off the floor, which shortens the range and shifts load to the spine.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Floor Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
