Anti-Gravity Press

Also called prone incline press, anti gravity press and chest supported press.

Works

Shoulders, plus upper back, traps and triceps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.

1. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor. Flex the elbows, performing a reverse curl to bring the bar near your chest. This will be your starting position.
2. To begin, press the barbell out in front of your head by extending your elbows. Keep your arms parallel to the ground throughout the movement.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat to complete the set.

Cues

• Lie face down on the incline bench.
• Reverse curl the bar to the chest.
• Press straight out in front.
• Shoulder blades down, no shrug.

Common mistakes

• Shrugging the bar up.
• Using too much weight.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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