horizontal push
Dumbbell Floor Press
chest · triceps · shoulders
dumbbell · beginner
How to do it
- 1Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and a dumbbell in each hand.
- 2Press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight, then lower until the backs of your upper arms touch the floor.
What to think about
- Let the upper arms rest on the floor for a moment rather than bouncing off it.
What usually goes wrong
- Using the floor as a springboard to start the next rep.
Worth knowing
- Get into position with the dumbbells resting on your hips and roll back, rather than lifting them over your face.
Watch it
Instead of this
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Strength and muscle gain require progressively increasing demand over time.
- Weight training carries a low injury rate compared with most field and contact sports.
- Holding your breath through a heavy rep raises blood pressure sharply, which matters most for people carrying cardiovascular risk.
- Free weights carried over the head or trunk need a spotter or a catch mechanism, and equipment needs checking before it is loaded.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.