Like a Bench Press Without a Bench
How is the bench press task progressing ? Hopefully you’ve managed to lift something, be it a traditional barbell, dumbbells or dumbbells of any size. Today we’re going to take a look at another problem you may face if you don’t have a fully equipped gym: how to do a bench press without a bench.
Floor presses
First, you can always go down to the floor. The video below shows how you can perform floor presses with the usual rack and bar placement; A neutral grip bar is preferred if you can find one. You can also do this exercise with a pair of dumbbells; grasp them again with a neutral or hammer grip (the handle should be parallel to your body).
The floor press uses less range of motion than the bench press because you cannot lower your elbows below your body, which means you cannot reach your chest. If you have had shoulder injuries in the past, you may prefer this bench press.
Exercise Ball Press
To do this, grab light dumbbells: you can sit on an exercise ball and then roll down until your upper back is the only one supporting the ball. Press the dumbbells just like you would on a bench and enjoy the extra workout that comes from something unstable underneath you.
This is not a very good setup for lifting super heavy weights. If you screw up and the ball slips out from under you, you can get into trouble.
Other alternatives
Don’t forget the good old push-ups. (Remember our push-up exercise ?) This movement is similar to the bench press — you just do it upside down. If your regular body weight push-ups are too easy, pull up the elastic band on your back (hold it in your hands) or have a friend add weight to your back. Or just do more reps.
Most gyms have a variety of bench press machines, whether it’s lying on a bench and push-ups while sitting on a chair and pushing forward, or standing by a cable machine and pushing up from it. It may not technically be a bench press, but your muscles will still be happy.