The pin press is one of the most honest exercises in the gym. You press the bar off pins set in the rack, from a complete dead stop, with no bounce and no stretch reflex to help you. It exposes exactly how strong you are at a given height and then builds that strength.
What a Pin Press Is
Set the safety pins in a rack at a chosen height over the bench, rest the bar on them, and press from that dead stop. Because the bar starts from rest, you get none of the help that a normal rep gets from the descent. Whatever you press, you pressed from a true standstill at that exact point in the range.
Target Your Sticking Point
The real value of the pin press is that you can set the pins right at the spot where your bench fails. If you stall a few inches off the chest, set the pins there and press from that height. You are training strength at the precise point that has been stopping you. Move the pins higher to attack a lockout problem instead.
How to Program It
Use pin presses as a heavy supplemental lift for low reps. Press hard from the dead stop, reset the bar fully on the pins between reps, and never bounce it off the steel. Because there is no stretch reflex, the weights feel heavy, so build into it and keep your form tight to protect your shoulders.
The pin press is precise strength work. Find the height where your bench dies, set the pins, and build raw pressing power right where you need it most.