Foam Roller Barbell Floor Press

In the video below you will see osteopath Heath Williams of Principle Four Osteopathy demonstrating a foam roller barbell floor press.  This is a variation on the traditional bench press and the benefits of this exercise include:

  • Unstable base of support – the design of the foam roller is such that when lying on it length ways there will be a tendency for the body to want to move side to side in the frontal plane.  Therefore one must work harder to stabilise through their lower body, torso and upper body when performing the horizontal press movement.
  • Range of motion – due to the shallow height of the foam roller one may only be able to work through a partial range of motion in the bench press.  This is especially useful for those who may have issues with bench pressing through the full range of motion i.e. shoulder related issue.
  • Environmental position – starting from the rack position and lying on the floor allows one to still handle quite heavy weights i.e. submaximal weight loads.  As there is a stability challenge involved in this exercise I would advise against rep ranges < 5 (near maximal strength) due to increased risk of falling and hurting ones self.
  • Exercise modifications – this can easily be modified by replacing the barbell with a dumbbells which requires each side of the body to work independently of one another.  Add in a single arm push instead of bilateral push and all of a sudden the body has to counter the rotational stress associated with pushing one arm whilst lying on an unstable surface.

This blog post was written by osteopath Heath Williams of Principle Four Osteopathy. Principle Four Osteopathy is one of Melbourne City CBD leading Osteopathy clinics. At the clinic we treat a wide range of clients, ranging from the office worker, exercise enthusiast to athlete. We have 3 experienced osteopaths working across both of the clinics. The Melbourne City CBD clinic is located at 29 Somerset Place (basement), close to the corner of Elizabeth St and Little Bourke in the Melbourne City CBD. Our premises adjoin the Jon Weller Personal Training Studio, a fully-equipped training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials or specific training programs and rehabilitation. The Docklands clinic is located at 717 Bourke St (Ground Floor), beneath the Channel 9 building near the walkway from Southern Cross Train Station to Etihad Stadium. Our premises adjoin Pilates on Bourke, a fully-equipped pilates and yoga training space which allows clients to combine their osteopathy treatment with exercise tutorials, pilates or specific training programs and rehabilitation. To speak to an Osteopath or book an appointment at Principle Four Osteopathy, please book online or call 03 9670 9290.