Pause bench
- Set up on the bench with your feet flat on the floor, grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width, and unrack it over your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Lower the bar under control until it lightly touches your chest, keeping your shoulder blades retracted and your core tight.
- Pause completely on your chest for 1 to 2 seconds without letting the bar sink into your torso or relaxing your upper back.
- Drive the bar explosively back up to the starting position while pressing through your feet, locking out at the top.
Tips
- During the pause, keep your muscles actively holding the bar in place rather than letting the weight rest passively on your chest.
- Press your feet firmly into the floor throughout the lift to give your upper body a stable base when you drive the bar back up.
- Keep your wrists stacked directly over your elbows as you lower the bar so the bar path stays controlled through the pause and the press.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing the bar off the chest instead of pausing, which skips the static hold that defines this variation.
- Losing upper back tightness during the pause so the shoulder blades spread apart and the chest position drops before the press begins.
- Cutting the pause short by pressing before the bar has fully stopped moving, so the lift becomes a touch-and-go repetition rather than a true pause rep.
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