Pin Press

The pin press is a partial-range bench press variation where the bar begins at rest on the safety pins of a power rack. Unlike a paused bench, where you still lower the bar under eccentric control and pause briefly on the chest, the pin press has no eccentric phase at all. Every rep starts from a complete dead stop with zero elastic energy.

Pin height determines what the lift trains. Pins set at chest level, or within one inch above, target the bottom of the press, which is where most lifters miss. Pins set slightly higher shift the target toward mid-range weakness and lockout training. The key variable is consistency: the same pin height week to week so you can track real progress on the hardest portion of the lift.

Because there is no stretch reflex, pin presses typically go about 10 to 15 percent lighter than a competition bench. Treat that as a feature. Lifters who grind reps out with excessive leg drive and bar bounce often find pin press numbers embarrassingly low relative to their touch-and-go max, which is exactly the honesty the lift provides.

Common uses include Westside-style conjugate training where max-effort days rotate through various pin heights, supplementary work during a 5/3/1 cycle to fix a specific weak point, and peaking blocks for raw powerlifters who need to reinforce a strict-pause bench.

• Set the pins so the bar touches chest or sits one inch above. Measure, do not eyeball
• Unrack and let the bar settle fully on the pins. Any residual tension cheats the start
• Lock the lats and upper back into the bench before the drive. No slack when you press
• Drive the bar up and slightly back toward the rack as if pushing yourself away from it
• Reset the setup between every rep. Lift and return the bar to full rest each time

• Bouncing the bar off the pins. Defeats the purpose. Let it settle for a full second
• Allowing the lower back to flare off the bench. The lack of eccentric makes it tempting to overarch
• Loading the same weight as a touch-and-go bench. Expect 10 to 15 percent less on a dead-start lift
• Using pins that are too high to feel meaningful. If you can lock out every rep with 95 percent, the height is not productive

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• paused bench press→
• close grip bench press→