Pause Reps
Pausing at the most difficult position of a lift to eliminate momentum.
Updated
Pause reps involve holding the weight motionless at the hardest point of the movement, typically for 1-3 seconds. This eliminates the stretch reflex and momentum, making the exercise harder and building strength at weak points. Pause squats, pause bench press, and pause deadlifts are common applications.
What the pause changes
Holding still at a point in the lift removes the stretch reflex and any stored elastic energy, so the muscle has to start the concentric from a dead stop with nothing to bounce out of. That makes the movement harder at the same load, and it makes the position you pause in the position you get stronger in. It also exposes where a lift is genuinely weak, because you cannot hide a soft position behind speed.
How to use them
Pause at or just below your sticking point, hold for one to three seconds without losing tension, then drive. Expect to use roughly 10 to 20 per cent less weight than the same lift without a pause, and treat that reduction as normal rather than as regression. Paused squats, paused bench and paused deadlifts off the floor all work well as a primary lift in an accumulation block, or as a first accessory after the competition version.
Common mistakes
Relaxing into the pause. If you let the bar settle on your chest or your hips sink, you have changed the exercise into a rest and lost the reason for doing it. The second mistake is drifting pause length between reps, which makes the set impossible to compare with the last one. Pick a count, hold it every rep, and log it alongside the weight.
Examples
- Pause bench: 2-second pause on chest
- Pause squats: 3-second pause at bottom
- Eliminating bounce to build strength
Related Terms
Compound exercises
Put this into practice with exercises from the library.
Dumbbell Squat
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Squat To A Bench
Strength · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Step Ups
Strength · Dumbbell
Elbow to Knee
Strength · Bodyweight
Elevated Back Lunge
Strength · Barbell
Elevated Cable Rows
Strength · Cable
Exercise Ball Pull-In
Strength · Exercise Ball
Extended Range One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press
Strength · Kettlebells
Common questions
What is Pause Reps?
Pausing at the most difficult position of a lift to eliminate momentum. Pause reps involve holding the weight motionless at the hardest point of the movement, typically for 1-3 seconds.
What exercises train the Pause Reps?
Good options include Dumbbell Squat, Dumbbell Squat To A Bench, Dumbbell Step Ups, Elbow to Knee, Elevated Back Lunge. Each links to a step-by-step guide with demonstration images.
What are examples of Pause Reps?
Pause bench: 2-second pause on chest; Pause squats: 3-second pause at bottom; Eliminating bounce to build strength.
Put it into practice
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A 12-week, four-day hypertrophy plan in three phases, with a modest calorie surplus