Pause deadlift
- Muscle group
- Back
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Primary muscles
- Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower back
- Secondary muscles
- Forearms, Lats, Quadriceps, Upper back
- Set up over the bar, pull the slack out of the barbell, and brace your core tightly with a flat back.
- Drive through the floor to lift the bar, pausing completely for 1–2 seconds once it reaches mid-shin.
- Finish the pull by driving your hips forward until you are fully locked out at the top.
- Hinge at your hips and lower the barbell back to the floor under control.
Tips
- Before initiating the pull, remove the slack from the bar by applying gradual upward tension until you feel the bar load against the plates, then drive through the floor.
- At the mid-shin pause, hold the position completely still with your hips and shoulders fixed before continuing the pull.
- On the descent, hinge at the hips first and guide the bar back down close to your legs at a controlled speed.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing or rebounding out of the pause rather than holding a complete stop at mid-shin before continuing the lift.
- Allowing the hips to rise faster than the shoulders at the start of the pull, so the back angle becomes more horizontal before the bar leaves the floor.
- Finishing the lift by hyperextending the lower back at lockout instead of driving the hips forward to reach a straight standing position.
Make Every Set Count.
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