Chest · Barbell
Paused Bench Press
How to do the paused bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on bench, feet flat on floor. Grasp barbell with overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lower bar to chest and pause for 1-2 seconds with the bar touching your chest, then press it back up explosively.
- 1Lower the bar under control and hold it on your chest with full tension through your pecs, shoulders, and triceps
- 2Keep your shoulder blades retracted and feet planted during the pause
- 3Drive the bar up explosively from the dead stop, focusing on chest engagement
Common mistakes
- Don't relax or lose tightness during the pause; stay braced
- Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest or cutting the pause short
- Don't let your elbows flare wide or lose your arch during the pause
Muscles worked
The paused bench press mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Paused Bench Press strength standards
See how your paused bench press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM115 lb
Silvere1RM167.5 lb
Golde1RM232.5 lb
Platinume1RM300 lb
Diamonde1RM340 lb
Champione1RM372.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the paused bench press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the bench dip
Last reviewed April 2026.