If your goal is to develop overwhelming starting strength in the bench press, can you simply pause the bar for one second on your chest and circumvent the whole stretch shortening cycle? The answer to this question is both yes and no. A recent study by the Physical Education Department at the Josef Pilduski University in Warsaw, Poland, in conjunction with the Biomechanics Department at Somelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, found that a one second pause at the bottom of the bench press movement causes a 55 percent disruption of the benefits derived from stretch-shortening during the bench press. That means that 45 percent of the stored elastic energy is still present after a one second pause. Pausing will help develop starting strength, but it still does not completely bypass the benefits of the stretch reflex. How is this paradox remedied?
I would like to introduce you to a GREAT exercise for developing starting strength. The exercise I’m referring to is something that I call the “dead bench,” and it’s a great way to make your bench gains come alive! The dead bench has helped me improve my explosive power during that crucial initial period of clearing the bar off my chest. The lift is performed by pressing dead weight off your chest (as shown in the video below). There’s no eccentric motion to store elastic energy, which is why the dead bench is a superior exercise for building blasting power in the initial phase.
The dead bench should be performed for single repetitions only, because, as the study indicates, even after a pause in the bench press motion, almost half of the stored elastic energy remains. For higher volume, lower intensity training, rather than pumping out rep after rep, you can use multiple singles followed by shorter rest intervals.
Proper progression is where most strength programs fail. One can know the science of training front to back, but if you do not understand the art of progression, you’ll be lost in a sea of missed gains. Some variables to increase intensity in the dead bench are: shortening rest intervals, adding more singles with the same weight, and adding more weight. Focusing only on increasing bar weight is a good prescription for running yourself into the ground of failed progress. However, you can consider lengthening the rest intervals and decreasing the number of singles as the weight increases. An example of this would be starting out with eight singles with a one-minute rest in between lifts, and by week six, performing four singles with three-minute rest. Obviously, the weight would increase each week during this hypothetical cycle (excluding deload weeks).
If your starting strength in the bench press is what’s holding your numbers down, then give this exercise a try. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Now start blasting!
Some points to remember
- Start the weight at chest level, but no more than two inches off the chest
- To maximally develop starting strength and rate of force development push the bar as hard and fast as possible
- In regard to hand placement, use your raw competition bench press grip for the greatest carry over
- Foot placement is the same as a normal bench press
- Use singles not reps
Here is bodybuilder/powerlifter in training of Metroflex Gym, John Combs, doing a very brief demonstration of the dead bench:
Here’s all-around West Texas Bad Ass Jeff Lofton, pushing some weight on the dead bench!
PDF 
Josh Bryant is one of the fastest rising names in the fitness industry. He works as a speed, strength, and conditioning coach at one of the top high school programs in Texas. Currently Josh is a personal trainer who works successfully with many clients, both in person at Metroflex Gym and via the Internet. By using the Joshstrength Method, he has trained world record setting powerlifters, women fitness competitors, Olympic athletes, professional fighters, NCAA champions, and a host of high school athletes who have received collegiate scholarships.
As an athlete, he won many national and world titles in both powerlifting and strongman, and at 22 years of age was the youngest person in powerlifting history to bench press 600 pounds raw. He squatted 909 pounds in the USPF, officially bench-pressed 620 pounds raw, and officially deadlifted 810 pounds raw. In 2005, he won the Atlantis Strongest Man in America competition.
Along with ISSA certifications in fitness training, nutrition, and conditioning, Josh has been awarded the prestigious title of Master of Fitness Sciences (MFS). He was also recently named the ISSA Director of Applied Strength and Power. In addition to being certified by the NSCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and by NASM as a Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), Josh completed his master of sciences degree in exercise science (July 2010). He has been published in numerous magazines, periodicals and websites.
Josh Bryant is the founder and owner of Joshstrength.com and The Joshstrength Method. To learn more about Josh Bryant or to contact him visit 
Looks like a great exercise. I’m going to throw it in as an ME exercise for my next training cycle.
Good stuff bro! I am really excited about trying these.
I have been working dead bench into 5/3/1 as an assistance exercise. Dead benches have been really beneficial. I found if I can move the weight off my chest I don’t have any problem locking it out. This helps blow through sticking points as a raw lifter.
Thanks Josh!
I’ve done these before and they are no walk in the park. It’s weird to think about starting with the elbows tucked, so make sure you realize how much/little your arms should be flared at the bottom.
I think the best part about this exercise is that it’s completely safe without a spotter. You could just drop it and you’d still be safe.
I was introduced to this exercise about 5 years ago, and always come back to it when I hit some sticking points. I lift raw, and the dead lift has become a main staple in my data bank of exercises.
Go to work buffalo soldiert
Josh recommended these to me last year. I am now blasting the weight, good relevant article
Would you do these on the same day you bench, or on a different day?
I need to start doing these. I’m going to put them in on my dynamic effort days. I think the appropriate percentage for singles is %60 to %70 of my 1 rep max for speed work. Anybody got any different ideas?
sounds good to me – can’t wait to try it.
I’ve been doing these as a max effort exercise for the last year or so and have found them to be great for my raw bench since the bottom is where I am weakest. As was noted by Tyler they are safe (as long as you have a decent rack and pins) which is key for me since I train alone most of the time.
Kendo: I’ve done these for dynamic effort work with bands. Didn’t find them as useful as regular dynamic work but still worth a try if only to change it up a bit. 50 % plus bands or chains is all you need in terms of weight. 60% would be the max you would want for this since you don’t have any stretch reflex to help out with the rebound and you want to be fast fast fast of course.
I’ll definitely be giving these a try on my next bench day.
First read about these in Dinosaur Training. Good stuff.
Try suspending the bar in chains. Bar kept moving on the pins.
What makes these different from pin-presses from chest level?
They are pin presses. Just a “hardcorer” name.
An idea for using these with a cluster, from Christian Thibaudeau (words are his). BTW, kudos on the suspended chains idea, I discovered your problem yesterday with the pins.
Auto-Regulatory Clustering
Clustering refers to the rest-pause method: you use a heavy load and do single reps with short rest intervals. This allows you to do a lot of reps with a near maximal load while still having a high training density. I like to use auto-regulatory clusters, meaning that I never have a set number of reps to complete, rather I let the completion of each rep dictate if I continue or not.
I’ll stop a set of cluster reps when I can no longer lift the weight fast enough (or smoothly enough). You can use a stopwatch and have a partner time the overcoming portion of the lift or go by feel; it doesn’t make much of a difference in most cases. This table will give you a time target to shoot for:
Load (Test 1 RM for that particular lift)
Rest between reps
Overcoming time threshold
Target number of total reps
90-95%
30 seconds
1.2 seconds
5-8
85-90%
25 seconds
1 second
7-10
80-85%
20 seconds
0.8 second
9-12
75-80%
15 seconds
0.6 second
11-15
I wish I’d read this about a year ago. I did dead benches fairly regularly, but would normally do reps of 3-5, along with singles. I ended up tearing my labrum during the exercise after I was trying to simply “increase the bar weight.” My shoulder still hasn’t recovered. Live and learn…
I have used these in the past and noticed nice gains from putting them into my BP cycles.
Nice!!…could have done without that headbangin shit though.
I’m glad I saw this article… I’ve been doing these off and on for a long time…. I’ve stalled and was going to include them on Thursday. Pretty coincidental timing of article.. I’d been doing sets of 5 with them, using a long pause between reps.
I’ll now do them this way.
I’d always wondered if pin presses right at the chest or slightly above would be superior for the raw lifter than the higher pin presses typically utilized by Westside Barbell, but never actually tried it out. It seems to be as good as it gets for helping out those who are weak off the chest in the bench.
I just used the “Dead Bench” as my ME exercise today with this article as my motivation, enjoyed it and definetely will use it again. Didn’t really notice any issue with the bar moving on the pins and I have no idea how that would be a problem.
I’ve always wondered what the box squat of the upper body would be, and figured it would be either the pin press or the board press. Now, I’m definetely think it’s the low pin press or “Dead Bench” as it’s called here. If the box squat is used exclusively to work the squat by many, why not use the Dead Bench exclusively to work the bench? I’d never drop the regular bench in training completely, it’s just a thought.
I started doing a variation of the dead bench over the summer when an NFL player came to our gym and told us it would really help out, but with a close grip to help build triceps and power for bringing the bar off my chest. My bench went up nearly 15 lbs over 3 months. I’ll have to give it a try with a standard bench grip soon.
can this be tried with all with squats and other main lifts?
this is great with squats
Bill Busby and our team have been doing these for Years. We stop about 2 inches from the chest, Pause and press. My raw bench went up 80 lbs in 3 mnths because of these “Dead Presses”. During the week I’ll start on the pins about 2 inches from the chest and press. I’ll add bands for extra tension as I work my way up. When I hit a sticking point, I’ll raise the pins to work through it. These are hell for lifters with shoulder problems though. I find this also helps me keep full control the weight as I lower the bar to the chest. This for me, is a lot more beneficial than Boards. Use a narrower grip to take advantage of the triceps and keep the stress off the shoulders.
i love these!!!!
Been using this method for a little while now how do you guys feel about having partners taking the weight from you at the top of the rep and lowering it for you…. So as not to elicit the stretch reflex… ???
Im excited to try these out and revamp my somewhat lacking bench. A few years ago I tore a pec and since then it has been a struggle to get back. Thanks for another great article.
Can you post where you found the article?