{"id":7035,"date":"2021-05-06T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbend.com\/?p=7035"},"modified":"2024-07-18T13:37:59","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T17:37:59","slug":"pause-squats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbend.com\/pause-squats\/","title":{"rendered":"Use Pause Squats to Skyrocket Your Leg Strength and Size"},"content":{"rendered":"

The squat<\/a> is considered the king of all movements, and it\u2019s one of the most important exercises to master for any lifter or athlete. It\u2019s a lower-body exercise <\/a>that engages the largest muscle in your body \u2014 the gluteus maximus, aka butt \u2014 and most sports and athletes greatly rely on the strength of their legs for improved athletic performance. <\/p>\n

There are various ways to improve your squats and bolster the strength and size of your lower body<\/a>; some even include resistance bands and chains<\/a>. One of the best (and simplest) training strategies you can implement is paused squats. Here’s what you need to know about this basic but effective squat tactic. <\/p>\n

What Are Pause Squats? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pause squats are exactly what they sound like. They\u2019re a regular squat, except you\u2019ll add a pause at the bottom of the squat. (You can also pause halfway between the top and parallel of the squat, though pausing at the bottom is more common.) During a pause squat, the lifter comes to a complete stop at the bottom of the movement and holds that position for a couple of seconds. They then explode out of the hole \u2014 the lowest position of a squat. <\/p>\n

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Photology1971\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[Related: The 16 Best Glute Exercises for Toning and Strength<\/a>]<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It’s important to note that just because you\u2019re pausing at the bottom of the squat doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll be changing the tempo<\/a> (the pace at which you squat) of your squat during the eccentric phase<\/a>. You\u2019ll still squat down at your normal rate, except you\u2019ll be holding it at the bottom. This can be done on any squat, including barbell back squat, front squat<\/a>, dumbbell squat<\/a>, or kettlebell squat<\/a>. That said, you can lift the most weight, generally speaking, with your back squat.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Pause Squats<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pause squats are a great way to add some variety to your regular squats and come with a range of benefits. Below, we\u2019ll cover the benefits adding a pause to your squats will reap you. <\/p>\n

Greater Time Under Tension (TUT)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your muscles grow from the progressive overload principle<\/a>, increasing the stimulus you place on your muscles. You can do this a few different ways<\/a>, including increasing the weight or sets you do, but another way you can do this is to increase the time under tension \u2014 how long your muscles are placed under resistance \u2014 of your muscles. In the case of the pause squats, you’re maintaining an isometric contraction<\/a> \u2014 keeping your muscles contracted in a stable position \u2014 at the bottom of the movement.<\/p>\n

For example, say you\u2019re squatting 225 pounds at a normal tempo. Well, if you were to pause at the bottom for two seconds, you’ll increase the amount of time your leg muscles were underneath the load, which makes the muscles grow bigger. In fact, this 2018 study performed on women found that pause squats resulted in a greater increase in hypertrophy than regular squats. (1<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Improves Concentric and Quad Strength<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a normal squat, lifters are leveraging their stretch reflect muscle to move the weight back up. This takes away strength from your quad muscles. Technically, you\u2019re working the same muscles \u2014 glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abdominals \u2014 during a pause squat as you would during a regular squat. When you\u2019re doing pause squats, however, you\u2019re forced to rely more on your quad\u2019s concentric strength<\/a> \u2014 tension on your muscles as it shortens \u2014 to drive the weight back up from the hole. This will make your squats much harder, but as a result, you’ll own bigger quads and a stronger standard squat. (2<\/a>)<\/p>\n

[Read More: The <\/em><\/b>Best Quad Exercises<\/a><\/em><\/b> and Quad Workouts for Muscle Gain]<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

Enhanced Knee Extensor Strength<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your quads extend your knees, and the pause squat relies more on knee extension than many other variations. That’s because you’re coming to a full stop in a knees-flexed position and then exploding out of the whole. This particular squat variation is beneficial for lifters who have issues during the concentric part of squats. <\/p>\n

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https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=3tn-xqyUUkQ<\/a>