How to do a Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press
Instructions for Proper Form
The Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press is a compound exercise targeting the lower chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids, incorporating a pause at the bottom to intensify muscle engagement and control. This variation adds a significant challenge by increasing time under tension and improving explosive power from a dead stop, making it more demanding than its traditional counterpart. The decline angle emphasizes the lower pecs, while the pause strengthens the lifter's ability to overcome inertia, enhancing muscle growth, strength, and the ability to initiate movement from a complete stop. It's particularly beneficial for athletes seeking to enhance their bench press technique and power output.
- Lie your back flat on a decline bench with your feet anchored under the foot pads holding a barbell just outside shoulder with apart with extended arms. Bend your elbows to your sides at a 45 degree angle to your torso until the barbell touches your middle chest. Hold the position for 1 to 2 seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat for the allotted repetitions.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps55lbs1 Rep Max70lbs
- intermediate8reps70lbs90lbs
- advanced8reps85lbs105lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Pause Barbell Decline Bench Press
1. Barbell Bench Press
99.2 mSCORESWAPPED 4,011 TIMESBench Press is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common upper body exercises. It’s a fantastic compound exercise that can help you build strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking upper body strength in general.
2. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,570 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
3. Barbell Incline Bench Press
98.9 mSCORESWAPPED 1,336 TIMESBarbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on a standard Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, but this variation places much more emphasis on your shoulders and upper chest.
4. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 1,277 TIMESDumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
5. Barbell Decline Bench Press
89 mSCORESWAPPED 1,027 TIMESBarbell Decline Bench Press is a variation on the standard Barbell Bench Press. Like the standard Barbell Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the triceps and shoulders. Performing this exercise on a decline helps to emphasize the lower part of the chest.
6. Dumbbell Decline Bench Press
86.1 mSCORESWAPPED 639 TIMESDumbbell Decline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Decline Bench Press. Similar to other decline variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps, however the decline adds more emphasis to your lower chest.
7. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 583 TIMESDumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
8. Hammerstrength Decline Chest Press
86.5 mSCORESWAPPED 544 TIMESHammerstrength Decline Chest Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Decline Bench Press. This compound movement primarily targets your chest, focusing more on the lower pecs. The use of a Hammerstrength Machine restricts your range of motion and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus more on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement. This is a great exercise for getting consistent tension and improving muscle activation.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Hammerstrength (Leverage) Machine (all forms)
9. Smith Machine Bench Press
89.5 mSCORESWAPPED 485 TIMESSmith Machine Bench Press is a compound chest exercise that also recruits the triceps and shoulders. The use of the Smith Machine adds stability to the movement allowing you to focus more on exertion, or learning the movement.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Flat Bench
- Smith Machine
10. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 484 TIMESCable Crossover Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest. It’s a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly, and can easily be adapted to further isolate specific areas of the chest. Using cables to add resistance allows you to keep more consistent tension on your chest, as well as control the angle that the resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Cable Crossover