Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Weighted Svend Press: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The weighted Svend press is a chest exercise performed by pressing a weight plate out in front of the body, emphasizing the pectoral muscles while also engaging the shoulders and triceps.

Primary muscles
Chest
Secondary muscles
Triceps , Shoulders
Equipment
Weighted
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the weighted svend press
Front view: muscles worked by the weighted svend press. Primary: chest. Secondary: triceps and shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the weighted svend press. Primary: chest. Secondary: triceps and shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the weighted svend press

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a weight plate in front of your chest with both hands.
  2. Step 2: Keep your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing each other.
  3. Step 3: Press the weight plate straight out in front of you, fully extending your arms.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the end of the movement, then slowly bring the weight plate back to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the weighted svend press by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Weighted Svend Press alternatives

More exercises that train the chest as their main target:

More chest exercises

See the best chest exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.