Pause Squat

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

Sitting still at the bottom for even one second throws away the bounce, and the bounce turns out to have been doing a lot of the work.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Load intentionally reduced): The bar is lighter than a matched back squat because elastic assistance has been designed out of the lift.
At the bottom (Elastic energy dissipates): Stored energy in tendon and series elastic components bleeds away as heat within about a second of holding still.
Standing up (Pure concentric force): The ascent is produced by contractile force alone, from the position with the longest moment arms and the highest failure rate.
Months later (Strength at the sticking point): Strength and positional control improve where the squat is weakest, at a lower joint and systemic cost per set.

Muscles trained

Primary: glutes, quads
Secondary: adductors, calves, lower back

Intensity

5 METs (Resistance (weight) training, squats, slow or explosive effort).

Time to effect

Weeks: The first few sessions feel humbling — the same weight that moves easily in a regular squat can stall completely without the bounce, since you're suddenly relying on raw concentric strength instead of stored elastic energy.
Months: Over 2 to 3 months, that lost bounce translates into a stronger, more controlled regular squat too, since you've built strength through the exact bottom position where most lifters are weakest.

Related supplements

Creatine Monohydrate

Common myth

"Pausing at the bottom is just an unnecessary way to make the squat harder." In reality: The pause removes the stretch-shortening reflex, the elastic rebound your tendons provide when you drop into a squat quickly, so the lift becomes a pure test of concentric strength from a dead stop. That exposes and strengthens the exact position, the bottom of the squat, where technique breaks down and reps are most often missed.