Spoto Press

How to perform the Spoto Press

1. Set up like a competition bench press with the shoulder blades pinned, feet planted, and a slight arch.
2. Unrack the bar and bring it over the sternum with the elbows tucked at roughly 45 degrees.
3. Lower the bar under control and stop it a couple of inches above the chest, holding it dead-still off the chest.
4. Pausing in mid-air removes any chest bounce and forces the pressing muscles to hold tension at the hardest point of the range.
5. Press the bar back up from the floating pause without ever touching the chest, keeping the bar path consistent.
6. Lock out over the shoulders, then reset the brace before lowering into the next floating pause.

Suggested working range: 5–8 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Touching the bar to the chest instead of holding it a couple of inches above it.
• •Letting the bar drift or sink during the floating pause rather than holding it dead-still.
• •Losing the upper-back tightness so the ribcage collapses under the hovering bar.
• •Changing the bar path between the pause and the press instead of driving straight back up.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.