Squat Pulse

A bodyweight squat variation in which you drop into the squat and then make short, controlled up-and-down pulses in the lower half of the movement without standing up. The constant tension keeps the thighs and glutes working through the whole set.

How to do it

1. Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart and the toes turned slightly out, arms reaching forward for balance.
2. Squat down until the thighs are at least parallel to the floor, keeping the chest up and the heels down.
3. From the bottom, rise only a short way, a few inches, then sink back down.
4. Keep pulsing in the lower range without locking out or resting at the top.
5. Stand up fully when the set is finished.

Tips

• Keep the knees tracking over the toes; do not let them cave inward.
• Stay in the bottom half of the squat; standing up between pulses removes the tension this move is for.
• Keep the pulses small and quick but controlled; do not bounce off the bottom.

Muscles

Primary: Glutes (max), Quadriceps

Secondary: Adductors, Erector spinae, Hamstrings