The floor press is an underrated gem of push-day training, as lots of guys are most focused on pressing big weights on the bench with a barbell. But, once you pair the exercise with pushups in this smart and simple superset from superhero trainer Don Saladino, NASM, the effect the routine can have on your chest will win you over in a matter of sets.
Here, Saladino demos the two exercises as a “giant set,” performing the dumbbell floor press for 12 reps, and then immediately turning to pushups until failure. He repeats the superset 4 times (and we recommend resting for 60 to 90 seconds between rounds). The high volume and moderate rest periods will help drive growth through the chest, deltoids, and triceps.
“I did this after some strength work as this is focusing a lot more on hypertrophy for me,” says Saladino. “The reps and tempo quality are extremely important.”
If you’re new to the dumbbell floor press, go into it knowing that the move is a big more complicated than just moving from the bench to the ground. You’ll put yourself through a smaller range of motion—which can be a gift to troubled shoulders—but it’s likely that you won’t be able to move as much weight as you would on the traditional apparatus. Check out this guide for some more form tips.
Lower your upper arms all of the way to the floor for each rep, but don’t bounce them off of the floor for momentum to start the next one. Focus instead on going from a complete stop, then squeezing your chest to press the weight up.
Form is priority number number one with the pushups, even though you’re going to failure. Keep quality form and tempo—just check this guide to get it right.
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Try the superset at the end of any strength-focused day to mix in some hypertrophy work—and make peace with the fact that, by the last set, your reps with likely be in the single digits. Saladino was only able to manage 10 to 15 reps during his last two sets, even though he can usually rip through 75 to 100 pushups in one go.
Want to try out more exercises and workouts from Saladino? Check out his Men’s Health Superhero Shred program, which is designed with the same principles he uses to get his star clients in shape. You can also find Saladino’s program, alongside a ton of other fitness content, on our new All Out Studio streaming app.
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