When trained guys use the 'zero point' bench press technique, their shoulder muscles swell more right after the workout than when they use the normal method — but their chest and arm muscles swell the same either way.

When you pause at the bottom of the bench press, your shoulder muscles work harder and swell more than your chest or arms — meaning your body shifts the work to your shoulders.

Even though the pause method makes you do more reps and keeps your muscles under tension longer, it doesn’t make your chest or arm muscles puff up more than the normal heavy-lift method.

Even though both methods make your triceps swell the same amount, the pause method causes more 'haze' on the ultrasound image of your triceps muscle — suggesting different internal changes.

Whether you lift heavy without pausing or lift lighter with pauses, your chest muscles swell the same amount right after the workout.

Even though both methods make your triceps the same size after a workout, the pause method makes the ultrasound image look more 'fuzzy' — meaning something inside the muscle changed differently.