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Exercises

Dumbbell floor press: how to do it and when it beats a bench

Published October 19, 2026

The dumbbell floor press is a chest press done lying face up on the ground, one dumbbell per hand. The floor stops your elbows at about torso level, so the range is shorter than on a bench, which makes it easy on the shoulders and hard on the triceps. Lower until your arms touch the ground, pause, and press straight up.

Your last dumbbell floor press set

How to do the dumbbell floor press

It gives you a real pressing exercise when you have dumbbells but no bench. The floor sets your depth, so every rep stops in the same place, shoulders stay out of the deep stretch, and the dead stop at the bottom makes your chest and triceps start each rep without a bounce.

Steps

  1. Sit down with knees bent and a dumbbell standing on each thigh, then roll onto your back and bring the dumbbells to your chest as you lie down.
  2. Plant your feet, pull your shoulder blades together into the floor, and hold the dumbbells over your chest with palms facing your feet or each other.
  3. Lower the dumbbells with your elbows about 45 degrees from your sides until the backs of your arms rest on the ground.
  4. Pause for a moment with your arms on the floor, staying tight.
  5. Press the dumbbells straight up over your chest to full lockout, without knocking them together.

Cues

  • Elbows land softly
  • Pause, then press
  • Shoulder blades pinned to the floor

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the elbows off the floor: touch down, stop for a beat, then press.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: keep them angled in at about 45 degrees.
  • Struggling to get heavy dumbbells into place: rest them on your thighs and roll back with them, and reverse the same way at the end of the set.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Push-Up, Floor Press

Muscles the dumbbell floor press works

The dumbbell floor press works your chest, front delts and triceps. Because the floor cuts off the bottom of the rep, your triceps do a larger share of the work than in a bench press, and the deepest chest stretch is left out.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the dumbbell floor press

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3–4 × 8–12 1–2 2 min
Pause briefly on the floor on every rep.
Pressing strength 4–5 × 5–8 2 2–3 min
Use your heaviest dumbbells and take time to get them into place.
Light dumbbells at home 3 × 15–20 1 90 s
Lower for three seconds to make light dumbbells harder.

Dumbbell floor press variations

  • Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press start position

    Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

    Press one dumbbell at a time when you only own one, or want your abs to fight the twist.

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  • Dumbbell Floor Fly start position

    Dumbbell Floor Fly

    Open your arms wide while lying down when you want to add chest isolation without a bench.

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  • Floor Press start position

    Floor Press

    Press a barbell lying on the ground when you want to go heavier than your dumbbells allow.

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Dumbbell floor press alternatives

With a bench

  • Flat Dumbbell Press start position

    Flat Dumbbell Press

    Press on a flat bench when you have one and want the full stretch at the bottom.

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  • Incline Dumbbell Press start position

    Incline Dumbbell Press

    Set the bench to an incline when you want more upper chest.

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No weights

  • Push-Up start position

    Push-Up

    Do push-ups when you want a full range of motion for the chest with nothing but the floor.

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  • Deep Push-Up start position

    Deep Push-Up

    Put your hands on raised handles or books when you want a deeper stretch than the floor press gives.

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Floor press vs bench press

On a bench your elbows can travel below your torso, which gives the chest a deeper stretch. On the floor they stop at torso level, so you press through a shorter range, the triceps do more of the work, and there is less stress on the front of the shoulder.

Most people press a little more weight on a bench. Use the floor press when you have no bench, when deep pressing bothers your shoulders, or to build lockout strength alongside a bench press.

Can you build your chest with the floor press?

Yes, especially when you take sets close to failure. Since it skips the deepest stretch, pair it with push-ups or deep push-ups for a fuller range, or with dumbbell floor flyes for chest isolation. That gives you a complete chest day with just dumbbells and the floor.

Questions

Are dumbbell floor presses good?

Yes. They train the chest, shoulders and triceps with no bench, are easy on the shoulders, and build lockout strength.

Can a dumbbell chest press be done on the floor?

Yes, that is the dumbbell floor press. The floor limits how low your elbows go, so the range is shorter than on a bench.

Is the floor press harder than the bench press?

Most people lift a bit less on the floor, because there is no bounce at the bottom and less help from the chest stretch.

What muscles does the dumbbell floor press work?

The chest, front shoulders and triceps, with more triceps work than a bench press.

What can I use instead of a dumbbell floor press?

A flat dumbbell bench press if you have a bench, push-ups if you have no weights, or a barbell floor press if you want more load.