Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press
A strength training variation where you perform a decline bench press with a distinct, motionless pause at the bottom of the movement. This technique increases time under tension and targets the lower pectoral muscles while eliminating momentum.
Pause reps place a unique demand on your central nervous system; the AI utilizes your sleep quality and HRV data to determine if you are recovered enough for this high-intensity technique. During the workout, the app analyzes your RPE and rep performance to ensure the weight allows for a true, static pause without compromising safety.
Form Cues
- Secure your feet firmly under the leg rollers to stabilize your lower body.
- Lower the bar under strict control to the lower line of your chest.
- Hold the bar completely motionless on your chest for a distinct 1-2 second count.
- Explosively drive the bar back up to full arm extension.
- Keep your elbows tucked at roughly a 45-degree angle throughout the press.
- Don't bounce the barbell off your chest to generate momentum.
- Don't let your hips lift off the bench during the press.
- Don't flair your elbows out to 90 degrees as this strains the shoulders.
- Don't lift your head off the bench to look at the bar.
- Don't rush the pause; ensure the bar comes to a complete dead stop.
Common Mistakes
- Bouncing the bar off the chest
- Cutting the pause short
- Flaring elbows excessively wide
- Touching the bar too high near the neck
- Lifting glutes off the pad
Muscles Worked
This exercise places primary emphasis on the lower, sternocostal head of the pectoralis major (lower chest). By adding the pause, you remove the stretch reflex, forcing the lower pecs and triceps to generate all the force from a dead stop, which enhances muscle fiber recruitment and strength off the chest.
Primary
Secondary
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