Work Your Chest, Save Your Shoulders. Add This to Your Training.
Shoulders hurt when you bench press? I have a solution..
Everyone wants the big bench press. It is likely the most overused exercise in history, and many with worn out, injured shoulders can attest to the dangers in relying too heavily on the bench press
Enter the Dumbell Floor Press, a simple movement that can save your shoulders and make you bigger and stronger at the same time.
Why is it Better on the Shoulders?
For Starters, floor pressing allows you to have your entire body against the floor..hips, back, and shoulders. Compared to laying on a bench, this allows the body to “grip” the floor, setting the shoulders into a better pressing position.
The Dumbell variation is even better on the shoulders, as your shoulders are not locked into one position like when you grip a barbell. The range of motion is also smaller, eliminating the portion of the bench press that really stresses out the shoulder joint, forcing the triceps to work harder.
What Muscles are Worked Compared to a Barbell Bench Press?
The dumbell floor press placed more emphasis on the upper chest and triceps when compared to a normal bench press. Perform a couple sets for higher reps (10 or more) and you will feel the upper chest being worked in a unique way.
Important Tips
Some things to focus on when performing this movement:
- Keep constant tension. When your arm hits the ground, do not relax. Keep active tension and hold for one second before performing another rep..
- On the first rep, hold the top position for 5 seconds and feel the shoulder socket being pushed into place.
- After a one second pause at the bottom, explode up with force, activating as many muscle fibers as possible.
Conclusion
When it comes to working the chest, you have to mix it up. You must have other tools in your bag besides the bench press to save your shoulders and hit the pressing muscles from different angles. The dumbell floor press is a fantastic, effective method you can implement right away.