How to Do a Svend Press
Table of Contents
What Is a Svend Press
The Svend Press is a chest-focused exercise where you hold two weight plates together and press them out in front of your body while squeezing them as hard as possible. Unlike regular presses, the challenge isn’t just moving weight, it’s maintaining constant inward pressure throughout the movement. This creates incredible chest activation, making it perfect for pre activation before bench press or as a burnout finisher at the end of your chest workout. It’s also known as the plate pinch press.
How to Do a Svend Press
Set Your Stance: Stand in an athletic stance. Avoid standing completely tall or folding over. Instead, pinch your hips slightly so your shoulders are over your feet.
Hold the Plates: Take two plates and pinch them together in front of your chest. Don’t just squeeze with your hands, focus on pressing inward with your chest and biceps.
Press the Plates: While crushing the plates together, extend your arms and press them out in front of you.
Maintain Tension: Keep squeezing throughout the entire movement to keep your pecs activated. Hold briefly at the end of the press before bringing the plates back in.
Adjust Difficulty: The exercise gets harder with more plates or smoother plates (since they slide more easily). Textured plates are easier to grip. Experiment with weight and plate type to find the right challenge.
Muscles Worked During the Svend Press
The Svend Press primarily targets the chest (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor) by forcing you to contract through constant inward pressure. Secondary muscles include:
Anterior Deltoids: assist in pressing.
Biceps: help stabilize and keep plates pinched.
Core: engaged to maintain posture and stability.
Unlike standard presses where shoulders often dominate, the Svend Press teaches you how to truly engage your pecs.
Alternatives to the Svend Press
If you don’t have access to plates or want variety, try these alternatives:
Pec Deck Machine (Chest Fly): mimics the inward squeeze of the pecs.
Cable Cross Over: provides constant tension similar to the Svend Press.
Cable Flyes: engages inner chest muscles while using a cable machine.
Hex Press: another variation for chest stretch and contraction.
Isometric Plate Squeeze: simply hold plates together and squeeze without pressing for static chest activation.
Dumbbell Bench Press: Traditional press for overall chest development.
