How many sets and reps of the pause deadlift should I do?

Count paused seconds rather than reps: about 20 to 24 of them in a session, which works out at 4 sets of 3 reps with a two-second hold, at 60 to 70 percent of your best pull. Rest three minutes and reset on the floor between every rep. Progress by adding weight, not by lengthening the pause past three seconds, and use it for four to six weeks at a time.

What can I do instead of a pause deadlift with no barbell?

Keep the pause and change the implement: a kettlebell or dumbbell deadlift held two inches off the floor for two seconds trains the same position control. A trap bar works too if your gym has one. The load matters less than holding a spot you would normally rush through.

What is the pause deadlift good for?

It fixes the point where your pull slows down by making you hold exactly there without momentum, and it builds the bracing endurance to keep a flat back under a load that is not moving. It suits lifters who keep missing at the same height. It is a poor choice in the weeks before a max attempt, when you want full-speed pulls, and it does nothing for a lockout that fails at the top.

Advanced

Pause Deadlift

The pause deadlift adds a one-to-two second hold at a chosen sticking point, usually just off the floor or at the knee, forcing you to own that position without momentum. It exposes and fixes weak links, teaches you to keep the bar close and the back flat, and builds brutal starting strength. Because the pause removes the stretch reflex, drop the load relative to your touch-and-go pull.

Equipment: Barbell
Body part: Glutes, Hamstring
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Erector Spinae
Browse by movement: Hinge

How to do it

1
Set up over the bar exactly as for a conventional deadlift.
2
Brace, take out the slack, and break the bar from the floor.
3
Pause and hold your position at the chosen height for a full count.
4
Keep the bar tight to your legs and your back flat during the hold.
5
Complete the pull by driving your hips through to lockout.
6
Lower under control and reset fully before the next rep.

Tips

Stay actively braced during the pause; do not relax and sag into the bar.
Keep the bar pinned to your shins so the pause reinforces good position.
Reduce the weight so the pause is controlled, not a fight to hang on.

Variations

Common mistakes

The pause height wanders from rep to rep, so no single position gets trained twice. Pick one, two inches off the floor or an inch below the knee, and hit it every time.
Hips creep upward during the hold, and the finish becomes a stiff-legged pull from a position you never chose.
The bar gets rested against the thighs at a knee-height pause, which turns the hold into a shelf and lets the lats stop working.
Running the reps touch-and-go between pauses brings back the bounce the pause exists to remove.
The head snaps up to look forward at the moment the bar stops, pulling the chest up and the hips down out of the position you were meant to be holding.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the pause deadlift should I do?: Count paused seconds rather than reps: about 20 to 24 of them in a session, which works out at 4 sets of 3 reps with a two-second hold, at 60 to 70 percent of your best pull. Rest three minutes and reset on the floor between every rep. Progress by adding weight, not by lengthening the pause past three seconds, and use it for four to six weeks at a time.
What can I do instead of a pause deadlift with no barbell?: Keep the pause and change the implement: a kettlebell or dumbbell deadlift held two inches off the floor for two seconds trains the same position control. A trap bar works too if your gym has one. The load matters less than holding a spot you would normally rush through.
What is the pause deadlift good for?: It fixes the point where your pull slows down by making you hold exactly there without momentum, and it builds the bracing endurance to keep a flat back under a load that is not moving. It suits lifters who keep missing at the same height. It is a poor choice in the weeks before a max attempt, when you want full-speed pulls, and it does nothing for a lockout that fails at the top.

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