{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Paused Squats",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Pause Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Barbell Paused Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Barbell Pause Back Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "quadriceps",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "gluteus-maximus",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "adductor-magnus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "soleus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "erector-spinae",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "transversus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "hip",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "knee",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "ankle",
        "actions": [
          "dorsiflexion",
          "plantarflexion"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "thoracic-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "strength",
      "powerlifting",
      "hypertrophy"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "squat"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "push",
    "kinetic_chain": "closed",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic",
      "isometric"
    ],
    "level": "intermediate"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "required": [
      [
        "barbell"
      ],
      [
        "squat-rack",
        "power-rack"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "2662"
  },
  "id": "oec:barbell-pause-squat",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Step under the barbell resting on a squat rack at upper-chest height, placing the bar securely across your upper trapezius or rear deltoids.",
      "Grip the bar firmly, brace your midsection, unrack the bar by extending your legs, and step back two to three paces.",
      "Set your feet roughly shoulder-width apart with toes angled slightly outward, maintaining an upright torso."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Inhale deeply into your belly and brace your core.",
      "Break simultaneously at the hips and knees to descend under control until your hip crease drops below the top of your knees.",
      "Come to a complete, motionless stop in the bottom position for the prescribed count (typically one to three seconds) while maintaining full muscular tension.",
      "Drive aggressively through your midfoot, extending your hips and knees to return to the starting standing position.",
      "Lock out your hips and knees under control before beginning the next repetition."
    ],
    "breathing": "Take a large diaphragmatic breath and brace before descending, hold your breath firmly throughout the pause and initial ascent, and exhale through pursed lips near lockout.",
    "cues": [
      "Freeze, don't relax.",
      "Stay tight in the hole.",
      "Drive the floor away out of the pause."
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Losing core and upper-back tightness during the pause at the bottom.",
        "correction": "Treat the pause as an active isometric hold; maintain intra-abdominal pressure and active tension in the back rather than resting on your joints."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Bouncing out of the hole or cutting the pause short.",
        "correction": "Bring the barbell to a definite, motionless stop and count full seconds before initiating the concentric drive."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Shifting weight forward onto the toes when driving up out of the pause.",
        "correction": "Keep your full foot glued to the ground and push evenly through midfoot throughout the pause and drive."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Set safety pins or spotter straps in the rack just below your bottom squat depth.",
        "Use lower loads than your standard back squat to account for the loss of stretch reflex and prolonged time under tension."
      ],
      "spotter": "recommended",
      "safeties": true
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "convention": "total",
      "implements": 1,
      "kind": "external"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps",
          "load"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "duration",
          "rpe"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {
      "e1rm": true,
      "volume": true
    },
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Barbell Pause Squat",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:paused-squats"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Paused Squats",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/2662/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
        "author": "bbk"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:barbell-back-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:barbell-pin-squat"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "load_position": "high-bar",
    "position": "standing",
    "range": "pause",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "shoulder"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A barbell back squat variation performed with a deliberate multi-second pause in the bottom position to eliminate the stretch reflex and build concentric starting strength."
}