Legs · Barbell
Barbell Pause Deadlift
How to do the barbell pause deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set up over a barbell with feet hip-width apart and grip the bar with a flat back. Lift the bar a few inches off the floor and hold a deliberate pause below the knee, then continue extending your hips and knees to lockout before lowering under control.
- 1Your hamstrings and glutes loaded and tight during the pause
- 2A flat, braced back holding position off the floor
- 3A powerful hip drive to finish the lockout
Common mistakes
- Rounding your lower back when you hold the pause
- Letting the bar drift away from your shins
- Jerking the bar off the floor instead of building tension
Muscles worked
The barbell pause deadlift mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the forearms, quads, lats, upper traps, upper abs, and calves assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- LatsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell pause deadlift for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.