How long should I pause?

How long should I pause in all paused variations.

For example, for 2ct paused DL / 2ct paused BP, I suppose to paused 2 full seconds, but in Jordan’s demonstrations, 2ct pause always like 1 second, and I am not even able to tell the different between 2ct and 3ct pause

I’m confused…

We tend to use more of a “1-2 count” rather than 2 full seconds.

You can use whichever you’d like. It’s much more important to be consistent from workout to workout, than the absolute amount of time you use. Relax.

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Being new to these exercises, I’ve basically taken any paused variant to mean “eliminate the stretch reflex”.

Am I right in assuming that is the most important component, at least at first? Even more so than a consistent pause length?

I ask because sometimes it takes me longer than the designated count to remind myself to just push rather than attempting a rebound of some sort.

Wait, 1 count =/= 1 second? :hushed: What exactly is a “count” then?

Does that go for tempo squats too? I always see people cheating those.

A consistent pause length is important, and will eliminate the stretch reflex.

Think of it like saying “1-and-2-and-3-and” etc.

Again, people severely over-estimate the significance here. You are welcome to use full seconds if you’d like, as long as you’re consistent week to week - the only difference is that you’ll use less weight for a given RPE target.

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Please allow me to nerd out a bit on this issue. According to the following study, the stretch reflex in the bench press can be modeled by a decaying exponential with half-life 0.85 seconds:

I timed myself saying “one Mississippi” (the Midwestern version of “one and”) and found it took on average .8 seconds, albeit with considerable variance.

I conclude that a one count eliminates about half the stretch reflex, a two count about 3/4ths, a three count essentially all of it, and going beyond that is useless.

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This is cool stuff, Patrick! I should have been more clear/accurate in my last post.

I think this is something most experienced lifters have probably “intuited” just by using varying pause lengths, and is probably reflected by the fact that we don’t program anything longer than a 3-count pause.

Deep down, we all know (and can feel) that a 1-count doesn’t doesn’t fully eliminate the reflex. And that can be OK, because if you’re a technically proficient bencher you can often get a “press” command in a meet after the equivalent of a 1-count.

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