The Barbell Pause Deadlift enhances your strength and stability by incorporating a pause at the knee level. This variation helps improve your deadlift technique and builds power from a dead stop.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the barbell over the midfoot.
- Grip the barbell with both hands, slightly outside your knees.
- Lift the barbell by extending your hips and knees simultaneously.
- Pause when the barbell reaches your knees for 1-2 seconds.
- Continue lifting until you are fully upright.
- Lower the barbell back to the ground with control.
How to perform the Barbell Pause Deadlift
- Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Pause Deadlift using your barbell.
- Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your glutes.
- Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.
Coaching cues
- Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
- Drive force through your glutes rather than momentum.
- Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.
Common mistakes
- Using too much weight and losing positional control.
- Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
- Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.
Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.
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