Paused Deadlift

Setup

1. 01Set up exactly as for a conventional deadlift with the bar over midfoot.
2. 02Grip just outside the legs and pull the slack out of the bar.
3. 03Set the lats by pulling the bar into the body before breaking the floor.
4. 04Decide the pause point in advance, typically 2 to 5 cm off the floor or just below the knee.

Execution

1. 01Break the floor smoothly and stop the bar dead at the chosen pause point.
2. 02Hold the pause for a full 1 to 2 count without letting the hips rise or the chest drop.
3. 03Drive through the floor and finish the lift by extending the hips to lockout.
4. 04Lower under control; reset fully between reps.

Checkpoints

• -Back angle at the pause matches the back angle at liftoff.
• -The bar stays in contact with or close to the shins during the pause.
• -The pause is a genuine dead stop, not a slow grind through the zone.
• -Lockout finishes with glutes, not lower back hyperextension.

Common mistakes

• -Letting the hips shoot up during the pause so the lift turns into a stiff-leg pull.
• -Pausing too high, above the knee, where it stops targeting the weak range.
• -Loading it like a normal deadlift; the pause demands a meaningful load cut.
• -Losing lat tension so the bar drifts forward off midfoot.