Paused Barbell Deadlift
What Is the Paused Barbell Deadlift?
Paused Barbell Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, glutes, quads and hamstrings and also engages the adductors, trapezius, lats and grip. It is an intermediate-level movement in which the bar is lifted off the floor, held still just below the knees for a few seconds, and then pulled to lockout in the same rep.
The pause takes momentum out of the pull and makes you own the position that a fast deadlift can hide. A review of sticking-point research describes the conventional deadlift as moving in phases: the knees do most of the extending first, the hips take over after that, and the two finish together at lockout. Pausing just below the knees holds you near that handoff, so a back angle that slips, hips that drift up or a bar that swings away from the legs has to be fixed before the pull can continue.
Powerlifters and strength athletes use it as a supplementary lift to the Barbell Deadlift, often on a lighter second pulling day, with less weight than their normal working sets. It trains the bottom half of the pull without changing the range of motion, which sets it apart from the Barbell Deficit Deadlift, which adds range at the bottom, and the Barbell Rack Pull, which trains the top. The hold adds isometric work for the lower back, hamstrings, glutes and lats, and the grip has to keep the bar for longer than in a regular pull.
It suits lifters who already deadlift with consistent technique and want to fix a slow start, hips that shoot up early or a bar that drifts forward. If the regular Barbell Deadlift is still new, build the hinge with the Barbell Romanian Deadlift or the Trap Bar Deadlift and add the pause once the standard pull looks the same from rep to rep.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Erector Spinae
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- Semimembranosus
- High
- Semitendinosus
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Vastus Medialis
- High
- Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
- Medium
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes turned slightly out, and the barbell over the middle of your feet.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to grip the bar with both palms facing you, hands just outside your legs.
- Lower your hips until your shins touch the bar, flatten your back, lift your chest and set your shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
- Take a deep breath, brace your core and pull the slack out of the bar so your arms are straight and tight.
- Push your feet into the floor and lift the bar up your shins, letting your hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.
- Stop the bar just below your knees and hold it completely still for 2 to 3 seconds, keeping your back flat, your arms straight and the bar close to your legs.
- Without letting the bar sink, drive your hips forward and stand up, keeping the bar close as it travels up your thighs.
- Finish standing tall with your hips and knees fully extended and your shoulders over the bar, without leaning back.
- Lower the bar under control by pushing your hips back first, then bending your knees once the bar passes them.
- Let the bar settle on the floor, reset your breath and brace, and start the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Counting a moving pause
Starting the count while the bar is still creeping upward shortens the hold and removes the work the pause is there to add.
Hips rising before the pause
Letting the hips shoot up as the bar leaves the floor turns the start into a stiff-legged pull and leaves the lower back holding the pause.
Bar drifting away from the legs
Relaxing the lats during the hold lets the bar swing forward off the shins, which lengthens the lever on the lower back and pulls you off balance.
Letting the bar sink
Allowing the bar to dip during the pause breaks the position and builds a habit that fails a competition deadlift, where any downward movement before lockout is a no lift.
Losing the brace in the hold
Breathing out or relaxing the trunk while the bar is paused lets the lower back round under load before the pull resumes.
Using regular deadlift weights
Loading the bar close to your normal working weight makes a clean, still pause impossible and turns the set into a grind with poor positions.
Injuries
Paused Barbell Deadlift is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The pause keeps a heavy bar in a bent-over position for longer than a normal pull, so the lower back takes most of the strain, followed by the hamstrings and the hands and forearms that have to hold the bar still.
Use noticeably less weight than your regular deadlift, brace before the bar leaves the floor and keep the bar close to your shins through the hold. End the set when you can no longer hold a flat back and the same back angle through the pause, since that is where the lower back starts to round under load. For the grip, use the double overhand grip shown, a hook grip or straps before reaching for a mixed grip: an analysis of filmed biceps tendon ruptures found that in all 24 tears during mixed-grip deadlifts, the torn arm was the one holding the bar palm up.
To regress, shorten the pause, lower the load or return to the Barbell Deadlift or the Trap Bar Deadlift, whose centered load and more upright torso ease the lower back. To progress, lengthen the pause to 3 seconds before adding weight, or move to the Barbell Deficit Deadlift for a longer pull.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, pain, numbness or tingling running into a leg, a sudden pull in the hamstring, or a pop or sharp pain at the front of the elbow.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Where should the pause be in a paused deadlift?
This version pauses just below the knees, which trains the position where the pull hands over from the legs to the hips. Some lifters pause 1 to 2 inches off the floor instead to work on a slow start. Pick the height where your position tends to break and keep it the same on every rep.
- Q: How long should I hold the pause?
Hold it for 2 to 3 seconds, counted only once the bar is completely still. Longer pauses are harder and need less weight, so lengthen the hold before you add load.
- Q: How much weight should I use for paused deadlifts?
Clearly less than for regular deadlifts. Coaches commonly program it at about 50 to 75% of a regular deadlift max for sets of 2 to 5 reps, adding sets rather than reps when more volume is needed.
- Q: Is the paused deadlift a competition lift?
No. Unlike the Paused Barbell Bench Press, the competition deadlift has no pause command, so this is a training variation. It still builds a useful habit, because any downward movement of the bar before lockout fails a competition deadlift, and a clean pause teaches you to hold the bar still without letting it sink.
- Q: Can I use straps for paused deadlifts?
Yes, when grip is what fails first, since the pause keeps the bar in your hands longer than a normal pull. Straps are not allowed in powerlifting competition, so competitive lifters usually train some sets with a double overhand or hook grip as well.