How to do the Barbell Pause Squat
- Place the barbell across your upper back, gripping it firmly with your hands.
- Unrack the bar, step back, and stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width.
- Lower yourself down until your hips reach at least knee level, then pause briefly.
- Push through your feet to stand fully, straightening your legs and hips.
Full technique — 8 steps
- Set the bar in a rack at upper-chest height and position it across your upper traps.
- Grip the bar just outside shoulder width, pull elbows down, and tighten your upper back.
- Unrack the bar, take two to three steps back, and set your squat stance.
- Inhale deeply into your stomach, tighten it hard, and keep your feet rooted evenly.
- Sit down between your hips, bending knees and hips together, keeping the bar over the middle of your foot.
- Reach full squat depth, then hold the bottom briefly without relaxing or shifting position.
- Drive straight up from the paused position, pushing through your feet and keeping your hips and chest rising together.
- Finish standing tall with hips and knees fully extended before taking the next rep.
Common mistakes
- Relaxing at the bottom pause
- Losing balance onto the toes
- Hips shooting up first
- Cutting the squat high
- Bouncing out of the bottom
Form cues
- Stay tight at the bottom
- Tighten stomach each rep
- Bar over middle of foot
- Drive up together
- Root feet evenly
