Execution Cues:
Barbell Floor Press:
- Start by setting up J hooks in a power rack at roughly knee height. Place a bar in the J hooks. I’d also flattening out a yoga mat in front of the bar to provide padding while lying down.
- Drop down and lie supine on the mat with your eyes directly under the bar. Your legs should be straight out and in a “V” pattern with your heels on the ground. Maintain a subtle lumbar arch. Place your hands on the bar just outside shoulder width and grip it tightly. Elevate your sternum by retracting and depressing your scapulae.
- As you unrack the bar, make sure to get it over the "lip" of the J-hooks and bring it over your shoulders. Your arms should now be locked out with the bar directly over the chest.
- Begin the eccentric by flexing at the elbows and allowing bar to begin its descent. The eccentric should follow a path in line with your sternum/lower chest.
- The bar should be carefully lowered until the elbows/triceps contact the floor signaling the terminal end of the ROM. Pause briefly in this position to break the stretch reflex but DO NOT relax. Tightness should be maintained through your whole body.
- From here, press through the concentric by extending your elbows and adducting your upper arms. Once elbows are locked out and arms are perpendicular with the floor, the rep is complete.
- To rerack, carefully return the bar to the J hooks, taking care to get it over the lip.
Pin Press:
- Setup as if preparing to perform traditional bench press. Adjust the J hooks and flat bench so the bar is about 1.5-2 inches lower than your full lockout position. This means that you should be able to clear the J-hooks by about an inch when unracking and racking the bar.
- The important step is to add spotter pins/arms to the power rack or bench that you’re using. They height will need to be adjusted such that the ROM on your press is stopped an inch off the chest at the bottom. These pins should be rigid and stable. Some racks have slide-through pins while others have attachable arms that can be clamped to the rack. Some fixed benches have adjustable stands that act as spotters. Use whichever is the most secure and comfortable for you.
- Lie supine on the bench Make sure that your eyes are right under the bar. Feet should be flat and not move AT ALL throughout the set. Glutes should be contracted and hips slightly abducted to create a wide base. Low back should be slightly arched so that only your glutes, upper back and head are in contact with the bench. Place your hands on the bar just outside shoulder width and grip it tightly. Elevate your sternum by retracting and depressing your scapulae.
- As you unrack the bar, make sure to get it over the "lip" of the J-hooks and bring it over your shoulders. Your arms should now be locked out with the bar directly over the chest.
- Begin the eccentric by flexing at the elbows and allowing bar to begin its descent. The eccentric should follow a path in line with your sternum/lower chest.
- The bar should be carefully lowered until it makes contact with the spotter pins signaling the terminal end of the ROM. Pause briefly in this position and allow the load to settle completely but DO NOT relax. Tightness should be maintained through your whole body.
- From here, press through the concentric by extending your elbows and adducting your upper arms. Once elbows are locked out and arms are perpendicular with the floor, the rep is complete.
- To rerack, carefully return the bar to the J hooks, taking care to get it over the lip.
Key Similarities:
- Horizontal press pattern and a variant of the Flat Barbell Bench Press
- Primarily target the pecs and triceps (with emphasis on the triceps)
- Eliminates the bottom of the rep and overloads the lockout
- Reduced risk of acute injury such as pec tears
- Allows trainee to work around pec, shoulder, and elbow pain
- Most effective for hypertrophy in low-moderate rep ranges (i.e. 4-8 reps)
- Effective intensity techniques include Rest Pause and Cluster Sets
- Neither movement is well-suited for metabolic work
Key Differences:
- Floor Press is done lying supine on the floor while Pin Press is on a flat bench. The latter needing more equipment including the pins/spotter arms.
- Pin Press is more stable due to the lower-body grounding and is also more specific to the traditional Bench Press. The Floor Press loses some of its stability and specificity because of the setup and body position.
- Pin Press is better suited for higher absolute loads/intensities and can be used effectively in the 1-3 rep range. Floor Press, on the other hand, tends to be better with higher rep ranges (~8-12).
- The ROM of Floor Press is defined by the trainee’s anatomy whereas Pin Press can be adjusted as needed.
- Floor Press is consistently load-bearing. Pin Press allows for full unloading onto the pins. The differences here are subtle but affect the inertia of the load and difficulty in transitioning from eccentric to concentric.
- Because of the added safety with Pin Press, more applications can be unlocked such as extended eccentrics, starting the set from the bottom of the ROM, and concentric-only reps/sets.
Primary Use Case for Barbell Floor Press:
- Hypertrophy of the Pecs and Triceps
- Increase Strength in the Bench Press
Primary Use Case for Pin Press:
- Hypertrophy of the Pecs and Triceps
- Increase Strength in the Bench Press