Pin Press
Trains the Triceps.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a rack and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Set the safety pins in a rack at the height you want the press to start from, above chest level.
- Set a bench so the bar rests on the pins over your lower chest when you lie down.
- Take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.
- Press the bar off the pins from a dead stop until the arms are almost straight.
- Lower under control back onto the pins and let it settle.
- Reset before each repetition rather than rebounding off the pins.
Common mistakes
- Rebounding off the pins. The bar settling and the press starting from nothing is the point; a rebound reintroduces exactly what the pins removed.
- Setting the pins where the bar sits on your chest. They should hold it above the chest — otherwise the ribs are the stop, which is the thing this setup is avoiding.
- Loading it against a full bench press. The range is shorter, so the weight is usually higher, and it is not comparable to a lift that starts at the chest.
- Not setting the pins level. Two pins at different heights tilt the bar before you touch it, and the difference is easy to miss lying down.