Barbell Pause Bench Press

How to do it

Setup

1. Lie supine on the bench with your eyes directly under the racked barbell.
2. Plant your feet firmly into the floor and grasp the bar with an even, pronated grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Retract and depress your scapulae into the bench, establish a stable arch in your thoracic spine, unrack the bar, and stabilize it directly over your chest with elbows locked.

Movement

1. Inhale deeply into your belly and lower the barbell in a controlled descent toward your lower sternum.
2. Bring the bar to a complete, motionless halt lightly touching your chest while maintaining full muscular tension.
3. Hold the pause for the designated duration (typically one to two seconds) without allowing the bar to sink or rest on your ribs.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and forcefully press the bar back up along a slight diagonal arc to the starting lockout position.

Breathing

Take a deep breath and brace your core before descending, hold your breath through the pause and the initial press, and exhale forcefully as you pass the sticking point near lockout.

Cues

• Bend the bar across your chest.
• Stay tight during the pause.
• Push yourself away from the bar into the bench.

Common faults

Bouncing the bar or sinking it deeply into the sternum to gain momentum.

Bring the bar to a dead stop on the chest while maintaining active tension in your lats and chest.

Relaxing upper-back tightness and losing scapular retraction during the pause.

Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together and actively pin them into the bench pad throughout the entire rep.

Lifting the hips off the bench when initiating the press.

Channel leg drive horizontally back toward your head rather than vertically upward.

Safety

• Ensure safety pins are set at the correct height just below your arched chest height so the bar can be safely escaped if missed.
• Avoid using a thumbless (suicide) grip.

Muscles

• Pectoralis major, sternal head prime mover
• Pectoralis major, clavicular head prime mover
• Front deltoid synergist
• Triceps brachii synergist
• Latissimus dorsi stabilizer
• Rotator cuff stabilizer

Joints

• Shoulder: Horizontal adduction, Flexion
• Elbow: Extension
• Shoulder blade: Retraction, Depression, Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement

Horizontal push

Modality

Powerlifting, Strength, Hypertrophy

Mechanics

compound

Force

push

Laterality

bilateral

Kinetic chain

open

Level

intermediate

Equipment

Barbell; Flat bench or Adjustable bench; Power rack or Squat rack

Record

Repetitions and Load

Load

external, total

Related

• variation of Barbell Bench Press
• progression of Barbell Bench Press
• substitute for Barbell Bench Press
• substitute for Barbell Pin Bench Press

Sources

• wger: Pause Bench, by Mens Fitness (CC0-1.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

barbell-pause-bench-press.json