Chest · Dumbbell
Floor Press
How to do the floor press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on your back on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with elbows on the floor and dumbbells over your chest, then press the dumbbells up until your arms are extended. Lower under control until your upper arms lightly touch the floor again, then repeat.
- 1Lie on the floor and press the dumbbells from shoulder level; you should feel your chest and triceps working through a shortened range
- 2Lower your elbows until your upper arms lightly touch the floor, maintaining tension in your pecs
- 3Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down to stay stable
Common mistakes
- Don't let your elbows flare too wide or bounce off the floor
- Avoid arching your lower back or letting your wrists bend
- Don't use momentum to drive the weights up; control the press
Muscles worked
The floor press mainly works the mid chest and triceps, with the upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Floor Press strength standards
See how your floor press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM40 lb
Silvere1RM65 lb
Golde1RM97.5 lb
Platinume1RM132.5 lb
Diamonde1RM155 lb
Champione1RM170 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the floor press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.