EXERCISE · BARBELL
Pause Squat
Legs
The pause is the entire point here, not a footnote on a normal rep. Set up and descend exactly as you would on a regular squat, bar on your back, feet just outside shoulder-width, sitting your hips down and back. When you reach the bottom, stop completely — no bounce, no soft touch-and-go. Hold there for a couple of seconds while you stay tight through your torso and keep your knees pushed out over your toes; this is where a hidden weakness in your position usually shows up, since there's no stretch reflex left to bail you out. Then drive up from a dead stop, staying just as tight on the way up as you were in the hold.