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Exercise guide
Paused Overhead Press
An overhead press variation that pauses the bar at the shoulders, removing momentum to build strict pressing strength and overhead stability.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- anterior deltoid · lateral deltoid · trapezius · triceps brachii
- Goals
- hypertrophy · strength
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- advanced
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Set up with a barbell racked at shoulder height, feet shoulder-width apart, and the core braced.
- Press the bar straight overhead until the elbows are fully locked out.
- Lower the bar under control back down to the front of the shoulders.
- Hold a full one-second pause at the shoulders, keeping tension and eliminating any bounce.
- Press back up from the dead stop without using leg drive.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep the pause strict -- no rebounding the bar off the shoulders.
- Brace hard and keep the bar path vertical over the mid-foot.
- Use a weight you can control through the dead-stop start.