In praise of doing dumbbell press (off the floor) instead of on a bench:
The upsides:
- Safer: You don’t need a spotter. If you can’t move the weight, you cannot move the weight.
- Better leverage: You have better leverage when doing an extreme back arch, on the floor. Maximal grip.
- You can lift more: Being able to move greater weight is more fun.
- To get the dumbbell on top of your leg, just ask someone to help you lift it.
- Bench press (flat bench press) seems like a bad idea. Even the bodybuilder Jay Cutler didn’t use bench press, but used dumbbell press instead. If you are going to do a bench press, just do a ‘floor bench press‘.