Barbell Larsen Press
oec:barbell-larsen-press
A flat barbell bench press variation performed with the legs extended straight out and hovering off the floor to eliminate leg drive and emphasize upper-body pressing strength and core stability.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Larsen Press, Feet-Up Bench Press
How to do it
Setup
- Lie flat on the bench with your eyes aligned directly under the racked barbell.
- Retract and depress your shoulder blades into the bench pad to establish a solid upper-back base.
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width using a full, pronated grip.
- Extend your legs straight out in front of you, hovering your feet slightly above the floor without letting them touch down or wrap around the bench.
Movement
- Unrack the barbell and establish control directly over your mid-chest with locked elbows.
- Brace your core to keep your pelvis and torso stable on the bench without rocking.
- Lower the bar in a controlled path until it lightly touches your sternum or lower chest.
- Press the bar back up explosively along the same path until your elbows are fully locked out.
Breathing
Inhale and brace your abdominal wall before initiating the descent, hold your breath through the bottom transition, and exhale as you press past the sticking point.
Cues
- Lock down the ribs
- Pin your shoulder blades back
- Keep legs straight and still
Common faults
- Allowing the feet or legs to rest on the floor or hook beneath the bench.
- Keep the knees straight and float your legs out in front, holding them hovering entirely under core control.
- Excessive rocking side to side during the press.
- Brace your abdominals harder and reduce the working load to maintain torso stability without leg support.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest.
- Control the eccentric phase and touch lightly with a distinct pause or soft reversal.
Safety
- Set rack safety pins just below chest level to prevent entrapment if balance or strength fails.
- Ensure your collar clips are securely fastened so plates do not slide if the torso shifts.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder: Horizontal adduction, Flexion
- Elbow: Extension
- Shoulder blade: Retraction, Depression, Isometric stabilization
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
- Hip: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Horizontal push
- Modality
- Strength, Powerlifting, Hypertrophy
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- push
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- intermediate
- Equipment
- Barbell; Flat bench; Power rack or Squat rack
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, total
Related
- variation of Barbell Bench Press
- substitute for Barbell Bench Press
Sources
- wger: Larsen Press, by Expenses7000 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.