Floor Press With Chains: Setup, Technique, and Programming

I'm a huge fan of the floor press, and the chain version gives you another useful way to train it. You have to produce the press without relying on your normal bench setup and leg drive, then keep pushing as more chain comes off the floor.

The important part is the setup. Throwing chains on the bar does not automatically give you the loading you want. The length of the chains, where they hang, and how much stays on the floor all change the lift. Get those things right before you worry about the weight on the bar.

What the Floor Press With Chains Trains

The chest, shoulders, and triceps still have to press the bar. The floor stops the upper arms at the bottom, so you work through a different range than a full bench press. Pausing there makes you start the press from a controlled position instead of bouncing into the next rep.

As the bar rises, more chain is lifted from the floor and the supported load increases. On the way down, links settle back onto the floor. That gives you a way to load the upper portion of the press more heavily without using the same load throughout the movement.

This helped my strength off the chest, but that was my experience, not a promise for every lifter. Your arm length, torso, grip, and setup determine where the bar stops. Some lifters will find the range more comparable to a board press. Judge the variation by what it does for your bench, not by somebody else's carryover.

Set the Rack Before You Load the Bar

1. Use a stable rack with hooks low enough to unrack from the floor without reaching your shoulders out of position. Start with an empty bar and check both the handoff and rerack.
2. Set safeties to catch a failed rep without interfering with your intended range. Test that clearance before loading. If the rack cannot protect you in the floor position, use a suitable setup and competent spotters rather than improvising alone.
3. Lie with your upper back planted and shoulder blades pulled together. Take a secure, full grip with your thumbs around the bar. Keep the bar supported over your forearms rather than letting your wrists fold far backward.
4. Keep your hips down. Your legs can be straight, or your knees can be bent as in the original photos, but do not drive through your feet and bridge to finish a rep. Use the same position for every set.

Have the handoff clear the hooks before you begin lowering. Settle the bar first. A rushed unrack that pulls your upper back loose defeats the position you just worked to build.

Configure the Chains for a Floor Press

The original variation uses 5/8-inch chains draped over the barbell sleeves, with no separate lead chain. The bar is already much closer to the floor than it is on a bench. Copying a long lead-chain setup from the bench can leave too much chain sitting on the ground throughout the rep.

Match the chains and hanging lengths on both sides. Keep them clear of the rack, your arms, and the spotters. Secure the plates with collars and use appropriate chain equipment and attachment methods; nothing should slide off the sleeve or catch as you press. Check the setup with a light load before your work sets.

Watch what the chains actually do. More links should settle onto the floor as you lower, and more should lift as you press. This draped setup produces a partial deload; do not assume the chain weight disappears completely at the bottom. If every link hangs free through the entire rep, you have mostly added hanging weight rather than the intended changing resistance. If nearly all the links remain supported on the floor at both the bottom and the top, there is little change in resistance.

The total weight of a chain is not the same as the weight the bar supports at every point. Record bar weight separately from the number and type of chains per side. Keep the chain arrangement consistent when comparing sessions. For a broader explanation, read the elitefts guide to training with chains.

Execute the Rep

1. Get tight before the descent. Keep your upper back set, brace, and hold a secure grip.
2. Lower under control with your elbows tracking underneath the bar. Bring the upper arms to the floor gently; do not slam the elbows down or force the bar to touch your chest.
3. Pause briefly while maintaining tension. Let the floor stop the motion, not relax your whole upper body.
4. Press with intent and keep driving as the chain load increases. Finish with the bar under control and your hips still on the floor.
5. Reset before the next rep. At the end of the set, bring the bar securely into both hooks with help from your spotter when needed.

Two Ways to Increase the Load

1. Keep the Chains Fixed and Add Bar Weight

Choose a manageable amount of chain, keep it unchanged, and add plates as you work up. This is usually the practical choice when the gym has only a few chains. It also makes the session easy to track: the chain setup stays the same while bar weight changes.

2. Keep the Bar Weight Fixed and Add Chains

Build to a manageable bar weight, then add a matched chain to each side as the sets progress. This shifts more of the increase toward the top of the movement. You need enough chains, enough sleeve space, and a setup that stays secure as you add them. Do not copy the old examples of 225, 275, or 315 pounds as starting prescriptions; select the load for the lifter in front of you.

Pick one method for the session. Changing bar weight, chain weight, grip, and pause at once makes it difficult to know what improved. If you cannot describe the setup in your training log, simplify it.

Where It Fits in Your Training

The original recommendation was to use this as a max-effort movement and work up to a one- to three-rep maximum. For an experienced lifter using that method, it belongs in the main upper-body slot. Warm up progressively, make sensible jumps, and stop adding load when you cannot complete the planned reps with the same controlled technique. Failed reps are not required to make the exercise useful.

If you are learning the variation or using it after your main lift, keep the loading submaximal. A practical starting example is three sets of five with the same chain setup and enough reserve to keep every rep controlled. This is an example, not a required prescription. Add a little bar weight only after the pause, position, and finish are repeatable. Avoid turning supplemental work into a second max-effort session.

Track bar weight, chains per side, grip, reps, and any change in setup. Also track the bench itself. If your floor press keeps improving while the bench does not, reconsider why this movement is in the program. Dave Tate's guide to supplemental movements explains how to choose work that supports the main lift.

Mistakes That Change the Exercise

• Bouncing off the floor. Use a controlled touch and a clear pause. A harder landing is not a stronger starting position.
• Bridging to finish. Keep the hips down and remove the extra leg drive. If you need to change position to make the rep, the load is too heavy for the intended variation.
• Using uneven chains. Check length and floor contact on both sides. A chain caught on a rack foot can change the load during the set.
• Chasing chain weight. More chains are useful only while the equipment stays secure and the rep still serves the training goal.
• Assuming a shorter press is automatically safe. The floor limits range; it does not make poor technique or excessive loading harmless. Stop if the movement causes pain, and get qualified help for persistent symptoms.

Watch the Original Demonstration

Use the original elitefts video alongside the photos to see the draped-chain setup. Pay attention to floor contact at the bottom and the amount of chain suspended at the top.

Use the Variation for a Reason

The floor press with chains gives you a repeatable way to train a paused press with more load toward the top. It does not replace practicing your competition bench, fix every sticking point, or prove that your triceps are the problem. Start with a specific reason for using it, keep the setup honest, and let your log tell you whether it belongs in the rotation.

For the bigger picture, see Big Benches Are Built Above the Elbow.

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