Larsen Press: Expert Tips for This Bench Press Variation
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If you’re hearing about this exercise for the first time, here’s a little background (er…chestground).
The Larsen press gets its name from Adrian Larsen, a world-class powerlifter—and former world record holder for the bench press—who famously bench pressed a motorcycle, passenger included, for charity in 2016. Larsen knows how to excel at the bench press, and one of his secret weapons is the exercise that now bears his name: the Larsen press.
The Larsen press involves lifting your legs off the floor while benching to eliminate the leg drive from the lift and maximize upper-body muscle activation. Caine Wilkes, OLY, USAW-1, and GGR senior staff writer, has the scoop on perfecting your Larsen press form, plus benefits, variations, alternatives, and more.
Check it out in our tutorial below!
How To Do the Larsen Press
You’ll have a leg up (no pun intended) if you’re already familiar with the barbell bench press, as the Larsen press doesn’t require too many adjustments to your pressing form. For safety purposes, lift your legs after unracking the bar.
How to do it:
- Set up your bench press station, rack your barbell, and load it with desired weight plates.
- Lie on a flat bench with the bar positioned over your face.
- Grip the bar with a double overhand grip that’s slightly outside of shoulder-width.
- Breathe in, then exhale and brace your core as you unrack the bar.
- Position the barbell directly above your chest.
- Once in position, lift your legs off the floor. You may leave them floating in midair or rest them on a sturdy object like a plyo box.
- Slowly bring the bar to your chest by bending your elbows.
- Lightly touch your chest at the bottom, then press the bar back up.
- Squeeze your pecs at the top, then cycle into the next rep.
- Repeat for reps then rerack your bar between sets.
Modifications
- Dial it back: Perform the floor press exercise with light weights and your legs straight.
- Make it harder: Increase the amount of weight you’re lifting or incorporate tempo training or pauses into the lift.
How To Do the Larsen Press At Home
Performing the Larsen press as a variation of the dumbbell floor press should work nicely in most home gyms, but feel free to use a household object if you don’t own a pair of the best dumbbells.
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Larsen Press Variations
Here are a few variations of the Larsen press that use the same movement pattern but swap out the equipment.
- Dumbbell Larsen Press: Using dumbbells rather than a barbell gives you a fuller range of motion, increases muscle activation, and opens the door for unilateral training.
- Floor Larsen Press: Get acquainted with benching without your legs by starting from the floor, thus reducing your range of motion and making the movement easier.
- Banded Larsen Press: Wrapping one of the best resistance bands around the bar while doing your Larsen press adds tension when the bar is in the top position, meaning you’ll really have to earn each rep.
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