Bench Press Can Wreck Your Shoulders, Do The Floor Press Instead

Many people treat the barbell bench press as the king of upper-body exercises.

But for a lot of lifters, it's also one of the fastest ways to irritate their shoulders.

The problem isn't necessarily the exercise itself—it's the assumption that everyone should be doing it. Shoulder structure, injury history, and mobility limitations all influence how well someone tolerates heavy bench pressing.

In this week's video, Mark breaks down an often-overlooked alternative: the Floor Press.

By pressing from the floor, your range of motion is naturally limited, reducing stress on the shoulders while still allowing you to build significant upper-body strength. For many people dealing with shoulder issues, this makes the floor press a smarter long-term option.

Mark also explains how the floor press is embedded within one of the most important movements in human history: the Turkish Get Up. Before it became an exercise, getting up from the ground was simply a necessary life skill. The floor press represents one of the foundational positions within that movement pattern.

The video also explores the Double Floor Press and Decline Floor Press, showing how each variation creates a unique training stimulus and can be used to develop strength from different angles.

If you're looking for a shoulder-friendly pressing option—or simply want to understand a fundamental movement pattern better—this week's video is worth your time.