Pause Squat

Muscles worked by the Pause Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Pause Squat

1. Unrack a barbell and rest it across your upper back.
2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Hold the bottom position for 2-3 seconds.
5. Drive through your heels to stand back up.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Stay braced and tight during the pause rather than relaxing.
• Avoid collapsing forward or rocking as you hold the bottom.
• Use lighter loads than your regular squat to maintain crisp form.

At a glance

Pause Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Pistol Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "pause-squat",
  "name_en": "Pause Squat",
  "name_de": "Kniebeuge mit Pause",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla con Pausa",
  "description_en": "A barbell squat variation with a deliberate pause at the bottom, eliminating the stretch reflex to build strength from a dead stop.",
  "description_de": "Eine Langhantel-Kniebeuge mit bewusster Pause in der unteren Position, die Kraft und Stabilität aus dem Umkehrpunkt entwickelt.",
  "description_es": "Una sentadilla con barra que incluye una pausa de varios segundos en la posición baja para eliminar el rebote y reforzar la salida del fondo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Unrack a barbell and rest it across your upper back.",
    "Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.",
    "Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.",
    "Hold the bottom position for 2-3 seconds.",
    "Drive through your heels to stand back up.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Nehme eine Langhantel aus dem Rack auf deinen oberen Rücken.",
    "Steh schulterbreit.",
    "Beuge die Knie in eine Kniebeuge, bis die Oberschenkel parallel zum Boden sind.",
    "Halte die unterste Position 2–3 Sekunden.",
    "Drücke durch die Fersen zurück in den Stand.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Saca la barra del rack y apóyala sobre la parte superior de la espalda.",
    "De pie con los pies a la anchura de los hombros.",
    "Baja en sentadilla hasta que los muslos queden paralelos al suelo.",
    "Mantén la posición inferior durante 2-3 segundos.",
    "Impulsa a través de los talones para volver a ponerte de pie.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Stay braced and tight during the pause rather than relaxing.",
    "Avoid collapsing forward or rocking as you hold the bottom.",
    "Use lighter loads than your regular squat to maintain crisp form."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Spannung in der Pause aufrecht, statt dich unten zu entspannen.",
    "Steige ohne Nachfedern direkt aus der Pause nach oben.",
    "Atme oben tief ein und halte die Rumpfspannung bis zum Stand."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén la tensión en la pausa; no te relajes en el fondo.",
    "Coge aire arriba y mantén el abdomen firme toda la repetición.",
    "Mantén el pecho alto para que la barra no te venza hacia delante."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/pause-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/pause-squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "pause-squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.