The floor press is a bench press performed lying on the floor — the elbows stop at the floor, which shortens the range and overloads the top-end lockout. It's also easier on the shoulders because the deep bottom position is removed, and it's a staple max-effort and repetition movement in Westside Barbell® training.
The floor press is a compound horizontal push done on the floor instead of a bench. You lie on your back under a barbell in a rack, lower the bar until your upper arms and elbows touch the floor, pause briefly, then press to lockout. Because the floor cuts off the bottom of the range, the triceps and lockout do more of the work, with the chest and front delts assisting. The limited bottom range also makes it relatively shoulder-friendly. It's a classic Conjugate method lift popularized by Louie Simmons for building bench lockout strength.
The floor press is a partial-range press, so it trains the same pushing muscles as the bench but shifts the emphasis. Removing the bottom range puts more of the load on the triceps and the lockout portion of the press.
| Role | Muscles | What they do in the lift |
|---|---|---|
| Primary mover | Triceps brachii | Extend the elbows to drive the bar through the top half to lockout |
| Assisting | Pectoralis major | Helps press the bar, mostly through the top-end range |
| Assisting | Anterior deltoid | Supports the press off the floor and toward lockout |
| Stabilizers | Upper back, forearms | Keep the shoulders set and the bar path stable under load |
Step-by-step form for the barbell floor press. Set it up in a power rack with safeties, and start light to learn the shorter range.
If you want to train the same lockout-focused pattern with different equipment or emphasis, these are the common swaps:
The floor press fits well as a bench accessory or as a max-effort / repetition upper movement in a Conjugate template. General starting points:
| Goal | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lockout strength | 3–5 × 3–5 | Heavier load, full pause on the floor, longer rest (2–3 min) |
| Triceps size | 3–4 × 6–10 | Moderate load, controlled tempo, keep the elbows tucked |
| Frequency | 1× / week | Rotate with the bench or a board press so you're not always training the same top-end |
Want the full method behind lifts like this? Read the Conjugate method pillar and the story of Louie Simmons, and pair it with the bench press and board press.
Log every floor-press set — weight, reps, and an RPE value — in LiftHero, and it charts your progressive overload and flags personal records so you can watch your lockout strength climb. Add warm-up sets, supersets and rest-timer holds, then drop the floor press into a saved routine so it's ready the next time you train. LiftHero records what you log; it doesn't diagnose your form.
It emphasizes the triceps and the top half of the press (the lockout), with the chest and front deltoids assisting. Because the floor removes the bottom range, the triceps and lockout take on more load than in a full bench press.
Many lifters find it is. The floor stops the upper arms before the deep bottom position of a bench, so the shoulders aren't taken through their fullest stretched range under load. That limited bottom range is a common reason people use it when a full bench bothers their shoulders.
It's a staple of the Conjugate or Westside approach as a max-effort and repetition upper-body movement. By shortening the range and overloading the top of the press, it builds triceps strength and lockout power that carry over to the full bench press.
The floor press is done on the floor, so the elbows stop at the floor and the range is shorter than a bench press. That takes leg drive out and shifts emphasis to the triceps and lockout, while the bench press uses a full range and more chest stretch.
Use a barbell in a power rack with safety pins or spotter arms set just above chest height, so you can lower the bar onto them if you miss a rep. A spotter helps too. Start light to learn the shorter range before loading heavy.
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This guide is educational and not medical advice. Consult a qualified coach or medical professional before starting or changing a training program, especially if you're new to lifting or returning from injury. LiftHero is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Westside Barbell®; "Westside Barbell" is a trademark of its owner, used here descriptively for identification only.
By Meitar Lazimi, founder of LiftHero · Last updated July 9, 2026.