Jeffrey Wolf

Extended pause squats are one of the most underrated tools for building strength, mobility, and control simultaneously.

Most people rush through the bottom of a squat relying on rebound, momentum, and reflexive stiffness.

Pause squats remove that.

You are forced to actually own the bottom position and produce force from a dead stop.

In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits of pause squats is the improvement in mobility and flexibility for people who struggle with it.

Extended pauses in deep flexion can help improve the mobility and flexibility of the:
• ankles
• knees
• hips

They also expose:
• positional weaknesses
• balance and pressure shifts
• bracing deficiencies
• loss of posture/control at depth

You can manipulate stance width depending on what areas you are trying to emphasize and what's more comfortable for you.

A narrower stance will generally create more stretch through the glutes and posterior hip.

A wider stance will generally create more stretch through the groin and adductors.

This can be incredibly useful depending on what is limiting you or your clients in the squat.

Pause squats are not just a strength variation.

They can simultaneously function as loaded mobility work and solid technical practice.

#squat #squats