Hi BBM,
Quick question about bench variations: Are all bench variations expected to be paused for 1 second if not otherwise described? Of course T&G and longer paused bench variations are explicitly explained, but what about close grip bench, floor press, slingshot, incline press etc.? Are these all generally performed as T&G or paused like a comp bench? I’ve been pausing everything instinctively but never knew the protocol.
Thanks all,
Daniel
No sir. Rather, if they’re not specified as paused they are touch and go.
Well shucks. Guess I’ve been doing it wrong the whole time. Is there a rationale behind this? Or just convention? Wouldn’t pausing for one count be acceptable due to the increased specificity of the movement?
We use lots of paused variations too and the non-paused variations can still be pretty specific. If we go down that rabbit hole, should we pull all deadlifts as singles all the time? How about using the belt on all of our lifts all the time?
The answer is that we don’t need to be (or want to be) hyperspecific all the time. Depending on the actual variation there may be more or less transfer with or without a pause, respectively.