In the Svend press you squeeze two weight plates together in front of the chest and push them forward until the arms are straight, then bring them back. The constant inward squeeze keeps the chest working, using very light weight.
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3
Sets
15
Reps
Plate
Equipment
5.00
Cal/min
🎯 Muscles Worked
🎯
Primary
Chest
📋 How To Perform Svend Press
1
Hold a weight plate between both palms at chest height, pressing the plate inward.
2
Keep constant pressure squeezing the plate throughout the set.
3
Extend your arms straight out in front of you, still squeezing the plate.
4
Bring it back to your chest under control.
5
This is a light-weight, high-contraction chest finisher — don't use heavy plates.
💡 Benefits of Svend Press
Produces a strong inner chest contraction with very little load, which makes it easy on the joints. It is a useful finisher or a warm-up exercise for the chest before heavier pressing.
📈 Sets, Reps & Programming
Do 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps with a pair of 5 kg plates or one 10 kg plate. Squeeze the plates together firmly through the whole rep and avoid letting the elbows drop.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using plates that are too heavy and losing the inward squeeze
Letting the elbows drop below the plates
Holding the plates with the fingers instead of the palms
✅ Pro Tips
Press the plates together hard the whole time
Extend the arms straight forward and return slowly
🛡️ Safety Notes
Low risk because of the light weights. Hold the plates securely so they cannot slip, and stop if you feel strain in the wrists.
🔁 Progressions & Regressions
Make it harderslower sets with a longer hold at full extension.
Make it easieruse a lighter plate or a single dumbbell pressed between the palms.
It trains the chest through sustained squeezing, which many lifters find effective for finishing the muscle, although no exercise targets a single part of the chest.
How heavy should the plates be?
Light, around 2.5 to 10 kg, since the inward squeeze is the point of the exercise, not the load.
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