Get Stronger Using Pause Reps

Boost your strength without adding weight to the bar by making good use of pause reps! Pause rep training means that you pause at a strategic point in an exercise before continuing.

You can use paused reps with almost any exercise and reap benefits like improved strength, better form, and increased sports performance.

As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, pause reps are in my own personal training programs as well as those of my clients and ind my home workout program SMASH Fit For Life.

This style of training is most commonly seen with squats, deadlifts, and the bench press. However, it can be done with just about anything.

Plus, pause reps can be done with weights or without them, making it a great option for home workouts!

What Are Pause Reps?

Just as the name implies, pause reps are done by pausing (for roughly three seconds) at a specific spot in an exercise.

Normally this is done on the "sticking points" or the area in which a transition is made (think before you rise from a squat or when you lower down in a bench press).

While you may think that this gives you a bit of a rest from movement, a pause rep actually does the opposite: makes the exercise more intense.

Sometimes paused reps are used on each individual rep. However, they can also be used just on the last rep too (which is really just adding an isometric contraction <-- just saying).

Just as the name implies, pause reps are done by pausing (for roughly three seconds) at a specific spot in an exercise.

Normally this is done on the "sticking points" or the area in which a transition is made (think before you rise from a squat).

While you may think that this gives you a bit of a rest from movement, it actually does the opposite: makes the exercise more intense.

Sometimes paused reps are used on each individual rep. However, they can also be used just on the last rep too (which is really just adding an isometric contraction <-- just saying).

I credit this strategy wholeheartedly for helping me build back my strength so quickly postpartum.

There are four major benefits of using pause reps in your training:

Improved Strength

Placing your pause at the sticking point ensures you won't rely on momentum to get up

Pausing at the sticking point of a major exercise forces you to recruit different muscles to support and stabilize you.

Many people rely on momentum to get through the challenging part of an exercise (think bouncing up from the bottom of a squat). Pause reps remove this and instead force you to use sheer strength instead.

Basically, it keeps tension in the muscles throughout the whole movement.

Having to call upon this new type of effort coupled with the increased intensity of more time under tension improves your strength all around. This is a great tool to use if you're trying to boost your one rep max.

It's also extremely effective when working out at home when weights are limited. This is why I use it in the SMASH home workout program. More control means more strength.

Better Form

Want to improve form on a specific exercise? Add in pause reps!

Forcing yourself to "get comfy" with the hard part of an exercise makes it so that you need to do it correctly.

Pause reps remove the ability to cheat an exercise.

Pausing in the hard part of an exercise forces you to focus on which muscles you're engaging (and which ones you need to be engaging). Long-term, this helps improve your form through muscle activation.

Reduced Injury Risk

It may seem odd to you that a specific training style can reduce risk of injuries but it's true!

Just like unilateral training, pause reps can keep you safe.

The first reason why comes back to improving your strength. The stronger you are and the better control of your muscles you have, the less chance of injury.

However, the other reason you reduce injury risk is because with paused rep training you normally improve your mobility and range of motion.

Taking a look at paused squats: you're sitting in the bottom of your squat with a dumbbell rest on each shoulder pushing you down. Sitting there for three full breaths.

The more you do this, the more your hips adapt and you gain some mobility. The better your mobility is (and the better your range of motion), the less likely you are to get injured.

Increased Intensity Without Adding Weights

This applies to everyone but is even more important for anyone using at-home workouts!

If you're working out at home, there's only so much weight you can load up with. Though there are lots of ways to make an exercise harder without adding weights, paused reps are high on the list.

Increasing your time under tension increases the difficulty of an exercise (and thus stimulated results).

So, start adding strategic paused reps into your exercises and watch your results skyrocket.

How To Use Pauses

As mentioned, pauses can be used in any exercise but there are a few certain exercises that are more common.

Below is how you start incorporating paused reps.

Squats

Pause at the bottom before returning to the starting position

Bench Press

The ideal way to train for bench press strength. Pause when the elbows are down with the weights close to your chest.

Push Ups

Pause as you hover right above the ground.

Pull Ups

Pause at the top of the movement with the chin over the bar or pause halfway with the elbows about ninety degrees,

Deadlifts

Pause at the halfway point after pulling up but before standing upright.

Glute Bridge Or Hip Thrust

Pause at the top of the movement.

Note that you can actually add a pause anywhere in an exercise. These are just the most common.

My personal opinion is to add a pause anywhere in the exercise a person struggles with. So for pull ups, this could look like pausing at the top, at the halfway point or at the bottom position after the shoulder blades have been pulled back.

How Much Weight To Use

Keep in mind that you can use this training style without any weight at all. Likewise, it can be done with bands, kettlebells, etc (check out the best home workout equipment to get started!).

However, when combining paused reps with weight lifting, you want to lower your weights.

If repetitions are higher (8-12), I'd recommend lowering to a medium weight (roughly 55-60% of your one rep max) to get started.

By all means, add more weight after the first set if you think you can do it! But most people find that this style of training is more intense than they thought.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pause Reps

Where To Go From Here

Below are some fitness resources I think you'll find helpful. First and foremost, learn everything you can about working out at home. Or, joint SMASH Fit For Life for just twenty bucks and you don't have to think.

You either want to develop your own training program (learn how to develop a program) or have a training program to follow along with.

From there, use any of the fitness tips below to keep pushing results on your journey.

• • How to boost knee strength

• • 4 workout finishers to get you sweating

• • The best tricep exercises to work into your training programs

• • 4 core exercises better than sit ups

• • How to DOMINATE your push ups (even if you're a beginner)

• • At home workouts to follow along to

• • Glute training 101: everything you need to know

• • Resistance training tips for beginners