The plate pinch press is one of the most undervalued chest exercises that recruits the upper and lower pecs.
To do it, take two plates back-to-back (typically 10-pound plates) and press them together with your palms as you extend your arms away from your body.
It’s not one of the sexiest exercises to do in the gym. However, this movement is ideal for those who want a vicious chest pump to help grow those pecs, such as bodybuilders or strength athletes who need a stronger chest.
That’s why I’ll share how you can do this exercise and how to add it to your workouts, drawing on my experience as a strength coach.
Table of Contents
How To Do The Plate Pinch Press
To perform the plate pinch press, you will:
- Step 1: Begin by grabbing 2 plates and squeezing them together with your palms. Make sure the smooth side of each plate faces each other.
- Step 2: Bring the plates to the middle of your chest with your fingertips pointing away from the body. Make sure to squeeze the plates together to recruit the middle of the chest more.
- Step 3: Retract your shoulder blades and keep your chest up, ensuring your upper back is not hunched over. This is crucial to performing optimal mechanics.
- Step 4: Extend your arms forward and slightly upward while squeezing your hands together against the plates. Do not extend quickly, perform it with a slower tempo.
- Step 5: Contract your chest as hard as possible throughout the movement, maintaining a tight core.
- Step 6: Reverse your arms in the same movement pattern, continuing to contract your chest without dropping your arms too low while bringing the plates back to your chest.
Pro Tip: When performing the standing plate press, you need to think of it like a “plate squeeze press” to help this plate chest press exercise more effective. Or if you want, you can perform these same steps using light dumbbells. It’s the same concept, except squeezing dumbbells together instead of plates.
Looking to add more chest movements to amplify your next chest workout? Check out this article about the best chest isolation exercises for building a better chest!
Common Mistakes Doing The Plate Pinch Press
Some of the most common mistakes made with this plate press exercise are:
- Loading too much weight: Even if you bench press 400 pounds, that doesn’t mean you must plate pinch with 25-pound plates. The plate pinch is to be done with proper execution and recruitment of the chest muscles, not for going heavy.
- Pressing downward: When performing the plate pinch press, you want to press forward and slightly upward with your fingertips pointing outward. This ensures recruitment of the upper and middle part of the pecs.
- Lifting with your elbows wide: One of the biggest mistakes of doing the plate pinch press is pressing your elbows wide and overcompensating with your lats and front deltoids. Keep your elbows tucked, and squeeze your hands each rep.
One of the worst things that can happen is when the plates slip and fall to the floor. This could cause damage to your gym flooring and, even worse, your body.
Looking to find other chest exercises like the plate pinch press? Check out this article about the best standing chest exercises to add to your workout routine!
How To Add The Plate Pinch Press To Your Workout
If you want to build size, add the plate pinch press earlier in your workout to fatigue the chest muscles before they enter your compound movements.
If you want to build strength, add the plate pinch press later in the workout to condition your chest muscles without exhausting them earlier.
However, I prefer to use the “time under tension” protocol when programming the plate pinch press. This way, I can promote fatigue through a slower tempo that requires less weight.
Here are some sample workouts for those who want to gain size or strength using the plate pinch press I’d use with my clients.
Building Size
If you want to build hypertrophy, start your workout with the plate pinch press. This will pre-exhaust the chest muscles before performing compound movements to recruit the pecs specifically for building chest size.
- Tempo Plate Pinch Press: Use a tempo of 5 seconds out, 0-second rest, and 5 seconds back for 3 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Cable Incline Chest Flies: 5 sets of 12 reps
- Tricep Pushdowns: 5 sets of 12 reps
Building Strength
If you want to build strength, use the plate pinch press near the end of the workout. That way, you can focus on your compound movements first and use the accessory movements to further condition and build your strength afterward.
- Bench Press: 2 sets of 8 reps
- Dumbbell Incline Chest Flies: 5 sets of 8 reps
- Tempo Plate Pinch Press: Use a tempo of 5 seconds out, 0-second rest, and 5 seconds back for 3 sets of 10 reps
- Tricep Pushdowns: 5 sets of 12 reps
Pro Tip: To make the plate pinch press more effective, superset it with a chest fly variation to exhaust the chest muscles further. For example, you could do chest flies for 12 reps and then the plate pinch press for 10 reps immediately afterward.
Looking to train outside of the box? If so, check out this article about the reverse bench press, how to do it, and how it will affect your next chest day routine!
Muscles Worked During The Plate Pinch Press
The plate press muscles worked are the upper and lower pec muscles.
- Upper pecs: The upper pec includes the muscle fibers on your clavicle (collarbone), which help with shoulder flexion. This is the action of doing a pec fly. The upper pecs are also targeted by doing the incline bench press.
- Lower pecs: The lower pecs include the muscle fibers on your sternum and ribcage, which help with horizontal flexion, the action of bringing the arms overhead from the front. The decline bench press also targets the lower pecs.
When performing the plate pinch, you are squeezing the plates together throughout each rep, helping to recruit for the inner chest as well. This is hard to accomplish with a traditional type of pressing motion like the bench press.
Looking to focus on the inside of the pectoral muscles? Check out this list of the best inner chest exercises to perform for a bigger and fuller chest!
Alternatives To The Plate Pinch Press
Two alternative exercises to the pinch plate press are the dumbbell Svend press and the dumbbell hex press.
Dumbbell Svend Press
The dumbbell Svend press is a great alternative to the plate pinch press because it offers a more controlled and comfortable grip, allowing for better muscle engagement and development.
With the dumbbell Svend press, the palms face inward, and the thumbs are wrapped around the dumbbell, creating a secure grip that reduces the risk of weight dropping.
To perform the dumbbell Svend press, hold a dumbbell with both hands and palms facing inward with the thumbs wrapped around the handles. Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart and the knees slightly bent. Engage the core and keep the chest lifted throughout the exercise.
Slowly press the dumbbells forward until the arms are fully extended, then bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Dumbbell Hex Press
The dumbbell hex press is a variation of the dumbbell press that works the pectorals, similar to the plate pinch exercise, but also the triceps and front delts. The lifter keeps the dumbbells squeezed together, providing constant tension throughout a full range of motion to recruit muscle groups more intensely.
To perform the dumbbell hex press, lie flat on a bench or the floor with a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the dumbbells together, squeeze them, and push through every rep with as much tension as possible. This exercise helps build muscle, as the amount of stress is consistent from the beginning to the end.
That’s why he dumbbell hex presses are a great exercise for muscle hypertrophy.
FAQ
Is the pinch press worth it?
The plate pinch press is worth it. This exercise can recruit the inner chest muscles better than traditional exercises like push-ups and dips. It also requires minimal equipment, meaning it can be easily added to your chest training routine.
Does the pinch press improve the bench press?
The pinch press doesn’t improve the bench press directly. However, the plate pinch press allows you to recruit your inner chest muscle that isn’t properly stimulated during a traditional lift.
References
Saeterbakken AH, Andersen V, van den Tillaar R, Joly F, Stien N, Pedersen H, et al. The effects of ten weeks resistance training on sticking region in chest-press exercises. PloS One [Internet]. 2020;15(7):e0235555. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32645111/
About The Author
Avi Silverberg holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science with a research focus on powerlifting training. He's been the Head Coach for Team Canada Powerlifting since 2012 and has coached over 4500 attempts in international competition. You can connect with him on Instagram or LinkedIn.
