Larsen Press
The Larsen press is a barbell bench press performed with your feet off the floor, which takes away leg drive and most of the arch. It works the chest, front of the shoulders and triceps through a strict press, and is used to build pressing strength and control without help from the legs.
Also called: Larsen Presses, Larson Press, Feet-Up Bench Press, Legs-Up Bench Press · Equipment: strength · Pattern: push
Step by step
- Lie on a flat bench with your eyes directly under the bar. Take your usual bench grip, a little wider than shoulder-width, with forearms vertical when the bar touches your chest.
- Lift your feet off the floor and hold your legs straight out in front of you, or rest them together on the end of the bench. Keep your glutes and upper back on the bench.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench and brace your trunk hard to keep your body level.
- Unrack with straight arms, or take a lift-off from a spotter, and move the bar until it sits over your shoulders.
- Bring the bar down under control to the bottom of your breastbone, with your elbows angled about 45–70° from your torso.
- Touch your chest with control, then press up and slightly back so the bar finishes over your shoulders. Keep your legs still throughout.
- After the last rep, lock out, move the bar back to the uprights and rack it, then put your feet back on the floor.
- Legs still, glutes on the bench
- Shoulder blades back and down, pinned to the bench
- Elbows 45–70° from your sides, forearms vertical
- Bar to the bottom of your breastbone
- Press up and back over your shoulders
- Brace your trunk to stay level
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Prime mover | B |
| Anterior deltoid | Secondary | B |
| Triceps brachii: lateral head | Secondary | B |
| Triceps brachii: medial head | Secondary | B |
| Pectoralis major: clavicular (upper) | Secondary | B |
| Serratus anterior | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Legs swinging or kicking
Fix: Hold your legs still and squeezed together for the whole set.
Body tipping to one side
Fix: Brace your trunk hard and press both arms evenly so the bar stays level.
Elbows flared out towards 90°
Fix: Angle the elbows about 45–70° from your sides and keep forearms vertical under the bar.
Bouncing the bar off the chest
Fix: Touch the chest with control, hold tension, then press from a brief, solid touch.
Shoulder blades losing their set position
Fix: Set your shoulder blades back and down before the unrack and hold them every rep.
Starting at normal bench weight
Fix: Start well below your usual bench load and build up as the position steadies.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceStrengthGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load by goal — Research comparing loads finds maximal strength favours heavier loads, while muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the size benefit, and strength gains appear largely insensitive to how close to failure you train.
- Volume and rest — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. In trained lifters, rests of about 3 minutes have produced greater strength and size gains than 1-minute rests.
- Range of motion — Research finds full-range training produces greater strength gains than partial range, while upper-body muscle-growth comparisons are less clear.
- Leg drive — There is no direct research on the Larsen press. Many lifters use it as a bench accessory at noticeably lighter loads than their normal bench, and those training close to failure commonly use a spotter or safety arms.
Log the larsen press in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.