Exercise details
- Target muscle: Sternal (Lower) Pectoralis Major
- Synergists: Clavicular (Upper) Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, Triceps Brachii
- Mechanics: Compound
- Force: Push
Starting position
- Squeeze a weight plate between your palms.
- Raise it to your chest, with your fingers pointing forward.
- Pull your shoulders back and stick out your chest.
- Raise your elbows so that your arms are parallel with the floor.
Execution
- Exhale as you slowly extend your elbows and push the plate out in front of you.
- Hold for a count of two and squeeze your chest muscles.
- Inhale as you slowly pull the plate back in to your chest.
- Repeat.
Comments and tips
- Since your arms are horizontal, most of the movement should occur in the horizontal plane.
- Because you have to constantly squeeze the plate, the Svend press puts your chest through an extended period of tension.
- Instead of using one heavy plate, you can sandwich two lighter plates together.
- The Svend press is not a major mass-building exercise. You can use it to warm up your chest at the start of a chest workout or to flush your chest at the end of your chest workout. You can also superset the Svend press with a primary chest exercise, such as the dumbbell bench press. In other words, as soon as you complete a set of the dumbbell bench press, perform the Svend press.
- As with the dumbbell fly, the Svend press is believed to build your “inner” chest. It is not possible to emphasize your inner chest. The only ways to get more inner chest definition are to build your chest using major compound push exercises (such as the barbell bench press) and to lose body fat.
- The Svend press can also be performed while lying on your back (supine). The supine variation places more emphasis on your pectoralis major and triceps brachii, whereas the standing variation places more emphasis on your pectoralis major and anterior deltoid.
