A feet up bench press changes how the lower body supports the lift: the feet leave the floor, either resting on the bench or staying unsupported. Those are different positions, and evidence about one should not be assigned automatically to the other.
The variation can provide pressing practice without floor leg drive. It has not been shown to produce faster chest growth, cure back pain or guarantee a stronger conventional bench press.
First identify where your feet will go
“Feet up” describes several exercises rather than one standardized technique. Use the actual contact points when choosing a variation, reading a study or recording a set.
| Position | What supports the feet? | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional bench press | Floor, or suitable foot risers | Keeps a wider base and allows floor leg drive |
| Feet resting on the pad | Bench, with knees bent | Removes floor contact, but the feet still have support |
| Feet held in the air | No support | Holding the legs adds a task; bent and extended legs are different setups |
The featured image illustrates feet resting on the pad. It does not demonstrate the unsupported hip-and-knee position used in the muscle-activity study discussed below.
What removing floor leg drive changes
A conventional setup uses the legs as part of the base for pressing. The Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association teaches floor contact alongside contact at the glutes, upper back and head (CSCCa, n.d.).
Moving the feet onto a narrow pad changes that base. It can also change the arch you maintain, so the bottom position and bar travel may feel different.
That makes “same weight, same exercise” a poor assumption. A familiar floor-supported load does not automatically become a suitable feet-up load.
Removing floor contact also does not isolate the chest. The shoulders and triceps still contribute to pressing, while the body must keep the bar and torso controlled.
A practical setup for feet resting on the bench
The following checklist adapts standard bench-press control and spotting principles to the pad-supported variation. ACE and CSCCa teach their standard press with the feet on the floor or suitable floor supports; their instructions are not endorsements of feet-up benching.
- Arrange assistance first. Agree with an attentive spotter on the lift-off, the call for help and the return to the hooks before beginning.
- Fit the position before loading it. Both feet need secure pad contact with the knees bent, while the head, shoulders and buttocks stay supported; if the bench cannot accommodate that position, use floor supports instead.
- Set an even grip. Wrap the thumbs around the bar and use a grip you can control, rather than changing hand spacing and foot position together.
- Establish support before the handoff. Keep the upper back against the pad and confirm that the feet can stay still.
- Lower under control. Bring the bar toward a repeatable chest position without bouncing or moving the torso to meet it.
- Press with control. Return the bar above the chest while maintaining body support; an uneven bar or slipping foot is a reason to end the attempt with assistance.
- Finish at the rack. Keep the chosen position until the spotter has helped return the bar securely to the hooks, then move the legs.
ACE’s standard-press instructions emphasize a closed grip, supported body position, controlled lowering and communication with the spotter (American Council on Exercise [ACE], 2020). CSCCa explicitly assigns the spotter assistance with unracking, reracking and an unsuccessful attempt.
When the aim is simply to support feet that cannot reach the floor, a suitable riser under each foot preserves floor-based support. Feet on the bench need not become the default solution to a bench-height problem.
If the setup only works after you shuffle or move your feet while holding the bar, change the setup before another attempt.
What the feet-up studies actually tested
Muyor and colleagues compared two positions in 20 trained young men: feet on the floor and legs held unsupported with the hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees. At the same bar weight, the unsupported condition produced higher measured muscle activity (Muyor et al., 2019).
The experiment used eight repetitions at 60% of the conventional bench maximum after familiarization. It measured electrical activity during the task, rather than a training program’s effect on future muscle size or injury.
Gardner and colleagues studied 27 recreationally trained adults using conventional benching, coached leg drive and legs in the air. Their three-repetition comparisons at 75% of conventional maximum did not detect significant differences in chest, anterior-deltoid or triceps activity (Gardner et al., 2019).
| Source | Actual comparison | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Muyor et al., 2019 | Moving bar, floor contact versus actively raised unsupported legs | No feet-on-pad training or long-term growth comparison |
| Gardner et al., 2019 | Moving bar, standard versus leg drive versus legs in air | Short-term muscle readings, not future strength gains |
| Pichardo, 2015 thesis | Fixed bar, feet on floor versus bench edge versus adjacent bench | Static pressing cannot answer moving-bar stability or long-term adaptation |
Pichardo’s university-repository abstract describes 21 trained men and no significant differences in peak force or average muscle activity among its positions. The bar was fixed against movement, so the thesis does not establish that the same positions are equivalent under a freely moving bar (Pichardo, 2015).
The research is therefore more specific than “feet up activates the chest better.” Two unsupported-leg comparisons produced different findings, and the supported-foot comparison asked a static-force question.
Benefits that remain reasonable, and claims that go too far
The direct practical benefit is a different pressing constraint: you can practice without pushing through the floor. Whether that variation earns a place in your program depends on what you want to practice and whether you can repeat it under control.
A more difficult balance task does not establish a superior growth stimulus. Nor does using a lighter bar establish that a session creates less fatigue or that the variation is easier on every joint.
Back comfort is individual. A change in how much you arch may feel different, but these experiments do not demonstrate a treatment for back pain.
If a pressing position causes pain or forces you to change your movement to complete repetitions, stop and get appropriate guidance. Do not use a claim about muscle activation to overrule symptoms.
How to include it without inventing a research dose
The studies above do not establish a universal feet-on-pad schedule of sets, repetitions or weekly sessions. Their laboratory loads and test repetitions should not be relabeled as a proven accessory workout.
When your program includes a feet-up accessory, record its actual prescription and exact foot position. Keep its performance separate from conventional bench records, rather than interpreting a smaller number as lost strength.
A useful record includes the barbell or dumbbells, where the feet are supported, grip, range or pause, load and completed repetitions. Those details reveal whether the comparison stayed consistent when you repeated the exercise.
To assess carryover, use the lift or task you actually want to improve. Better feet-up performance is evidence of progress in that variation; it does not automatically establish a larger conventional bench.
If you want pressing with a different range limit, our floor press versus bench press guide explains that comparison. Our guide to repetition ranges separates broader strength and muscle-size goals.
Common questions about the feet up bench press
Is it the same as a Larsen press?
Labels vary, so describe the position rather than relying on the name alone. Feet resting on the pad, unsupported bent legs and unsupported extended legs should be recorded as different versions.
Is the dumbbell version covered by the barbell studies?
No: the experiments described above used a barbell or a fixed bar. Their results cannot establish the same outcome for independent dumbbells.
Should beginners start with their feet up?
The standard ACE and CSCCa instructions use supported feet on the floor or suitable floor risers. Learning that setup first provides a clear baseline, without assuming that a more demanding support change is a required progression.
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References
American Council on Exercise. (2020). 1-RM bench-press assessment protocol. Official technique and spotting instructions.
Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. (n.d.). Barbell bench. Official standard-press technique.
Gardner, J. K., Chia, J. T., & Miller, K. L. (2019). Leg-drive does not affect upper extremity muscle activation during a bench press exercise. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 7(1), 12 to 17. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2019.070103
Muyor, J. M., Rodríguez-Ridao, D., Martín-Fuentes, I., & Antequera-Vique, J. A. (2019). Evaluation and comparison of electromyographic activity in bench press with feet on the ground and active hip flexion. PLOS ONE, 14(6), e0218209. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218209
Pichardo, A. W. (2015). Effect of foot position on isometric bench press performance [Unpublished master’s thesis, Appalachian State University]. University repository record and abstract.
Medical disclaimer: This article is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you have an injury, ongoing pain or a medical condition, talk to a doctor or physical therapist before changing how you train.
