Online Coaching and Programs for Powerlifting and Fitness Home › Forums › Powerlifting › Floor press form questions

Tagged: 

Viewing 2 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • Gina M
      Participant
      June 11, 2019 at 10:58 am
      Post count: 52
      #16280

      I have a few floor press questions.

      1.) Candace had previously given me this helpful guidance (below) for bench.
      “Act like there is a potato chip, yes I said potato chip, on your chest that you don’t want to smash. This way you can store the tension into your upper body and not just depend on dynamic leg drive to move the bar.”

      Does this still apply to a floor press? I’m not sure if I should keep on trying to have that little bit of pushing up still at the bottom of the rep. Clearly it’s not at my chest but I can see the value in continuing to work with that form cue (with the expectation it will carry over to bench) since I find remembering it to be challenging. OR is the point of the exercise to work on pushing from a stopping point (i.e., equivalent to a box squat)?

      2.) in the example video, legs are flat on the ground. Is it also okay to bend them and practice a little hip/glute drive? Again, I’m mostly thinking about trying to better engrain certain cues and I’ve found that as I’ve focused on getting my upper body tight on bench, I’m using less leg drive. Coordinating that drive (even just a little) on floor press seems like a good idea but not sure if that’s a no-no.

      sorry for the anal questions. If bench wasn’t so technical with a million things to remember I don’t think I’d be so concerned with using my assistance work to help me memorize bench cues.
      I appreciate the help, as always.

    • Matt
      Keymaster
      June 11, 2019 at 2:13 pm
      Post count: 240
      #16284

      Gina, on the first part you are right. The floor press is to the bench what the box squat is to the squat. Driving your chest up and keeping tension is doing more for you than just making the distance shorter, it is locking in your upper back as well as keeping tension and control of the bar. With the floor press I guess you could say the potato chip is on the ground under your elbows. Don’t slam your elbows into the floor but let them “rest” on the floor (like your butt would “rest” on the box for a box squat) then drive up.
      For the lower body you can floor press with bent legs but under no circumstances should you use leg drive. Part of the floor press is to isolate the upper body and press as much as you can without using leg drive. We actually prefer using legs straight because people are less inclined to accidentally use their legs than if they were bent.
      The final take away is use the floor press as a place to build strength and coordination for the upper body portions of the bench, use the bench to practice the entire charade at once legs and all.

    • Gina M
      Participant
      June 12, 2019 at 9:13 am
      Post count: 52
      #16305

      Thanks is Matt. This is all really helpful.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 2 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.