Learn the Paused Deadlift for Strength and Control
Table of Contents
What is a Paused Deadlift
A paused deadlift is a great variation of the regular deadlift. It’s especially useful if you want to build strength, improve technique, or focus on sticking points in your lift. Instead of pulling the bar straight up in one motion, you stop and hold it briefly, usually just below the knees, before finishing the movement. That pause adds time under tension, reinforces proper positioning, and helps you feel exactly what your body should be doing at different stages of the lift. Whether you deadlift sumo or conventional, you can use this variation with either style.
How to Do a Paused Deadlift
Start with your regular deadlift setup, either conventional or sumo.
Grab the bar with your arms long and straight. Brace your core, lock in your lats, and think about driving through your legs like you're leg pressing the ground away.
As the bar comes off the floor, pause just below the knees. Hold that position for about three seconds. You can count it out like “one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi.” Make sure your back stays flat and everything stays tight.
After the pause, drive your hips forward and lock out the lift at the top. If you want, you can even pause at the top for a moment to re-engage your glutes and brace your core.
Bring the bar back down under control. Some lifters like to do a second pause during the lowering part of the lift as well, but a single pause is enough for most people starting out.
Muscles Worked During the Paused Deadlift
Paused deadlifts work all the same muscles as a regular deadlift, but the pause adds more control and focus to the movement.
You’re still hitting your glutes, hamstrings, and quads as the main movers. Your lower back, especially the erector spinae, works hard to keep your posture tight. Your lats, traps, and rhomboids help keep the bar close to your body, and your core is engaged the entire time, especially during the pause. Your grip strength also gets challenged just holding the bar steady.
