Alternative to Bench Press page

[tom05]

hey PB'ers!

i recently bought some weights from the classifieds, and so have a barbell, 2 dumbbells and plates. ive been doing squats, deadlifts and also pull ups, but i dont have any way to set up a bench to do bench presses. Are push ups a suitable substitute if i want to build muscle?

[norak]

If you have a "bench-like" object you can lay down on, you can do bench presses with the dumbbells instead of the barbell.

If you don't have a bench to lie on, maybe you can find a table or some other flat object with an edge, so you can do each arm separately?

[iniQuity]

I say yes, especially hip push ups, the change in leverage makes all the difference. Work up to these, even if you have to start on your knees, they're pretty challenging. The video below is meant for body-builders but it demonstrates the exercise. This is also a good example of how getting too big makes your head look tiny, avoid at all costs.

[Pandadude]

Do floor presses, ROM is going to be a bit smaller due to plates hitting the ground before bar hits your chest, but you can use a slightly closer grip to compensate

[not on the rug]

i second the floor presses. there are literally so many pushup variations you can do. check out typewriter pushups (one of my favorites), lifting one leg up, varying the width of your grip, etc. also, you can look at calisthenics kingz youtube page for some other ideas.

[Shamra Byrne]

Pushups are awesome. Some of the best trainers out there say that you should actually do pushups before you do bench.

[Al_Kavadlo]

there are literally so many pushup variations you can do.

Did someone say push-up variations?

Btw, I haven't done a bench press in years and I'm quite pleased with my chest development.

[yodiewan]

Like Al, I haven't done bench press in a long time. I do lots of weighted dips and chinups and I'm happy with my upper body strength and development. Unlike Al, I cannot do a triple-clap pushups, hehe. I'm working on it.

[not on the rug]

Good link Al. I rarely do bench presses anymore, maybe 2 times per month. When i am hitting the weights, i prefer to do things like alternating DB presses.

[Pandadude]

i second the floor presses. there are literally so many pushup variations you can do. check out typewriter pushups (one of my favorites), lifting one leg up, varying the width of your grip, etc. also, you can look at calisthenics kingz youtube page for some other ideas.

A floor press is not a synonym for pushup You press a barbell with your back lying on the floor. This exercise came before the benchpress was invented.