Squat Pulse

Muscles worked by the Squat Pulse

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

AdductorsHip AdductorsLower BackErector SpinaeHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Squat Pulse

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.

Form 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.

At a glance

Squat Pulse in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Deep Squat Hold
• Dumbbell Front Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "squat-pulse",
  "name_en": "Squat Pulse",
  "name_de": "Kniebeuge-Pulse",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla con Pulsos",
  "description_en": "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.",
  "description_de": "Eine Kniebeugevariante mit dem eigenen Körpergewicht: Du gehst in die Kniebeuge und machst dann in der unteren Hälfte der Bewegung kurze, kontrollierte Auf-und-ab-Pulse, ohne dich aufzurichten. Die ständige Spannung hält Oberschenkel und Gesäß den ganzen Satz über in Arbeit.",
  "description_es": "Una variante de la sentadilla con el peso corporal en la que bajas a la sentadilla y haces pulsos cortos y controlados, hacia arriba y hacia abajo, en la mitad inferior del movimiento sin llegar a ponerte de pie. La tensión constante mantiene trabajando los muslos y los glúteos durante toda la serie.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "adductors",
    "erector_spinae",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart and the toes turned slightly out, arms reaching forward for balance.",
    "Squat down until the thighs are at least parallel to the floor, keeping the chest up and the heels down.",
    "From the bottom, rise only a short way, a few inches, then sink back down.",
    "Keep pulsing in the lower range without locking out or resting at the top.",
    "Stand up fully when the set is finished."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Steh etwa schulterbreit, die Zehen leicht nach außen gedreht und die Arme zum Gleichgewicht nach vorn gestreckt.",
    "Geh in die Kniebeuge, bis die Oberschenkel mindestens parallel zum Boden sind, die Brust oben und die Fersen am Boden.",
    "Komm aus der tiefsten Position nur ein kurzes Stück hoch, wenige Zentimeter, und sinke dann wieder ab.",
    "Pulse weiter im unteren Bereich, ohne oben durchzustrecken oder dich auszuruhen.",
    "Richte dich vollständig auf, wenn der Satz beendet ist."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Colócate de pie con los pies separados a la anchura de los hombros aproximadamente y las puntas ligeramente hacia fuera, con los brazos estirados al frente para mantener el equilibrio.",
    "Baja en sentadilla hasta que los muslos queden al menos paralelos al suelo, con el pecho erguido y los talones apoyados.",
    "Desde abajo, sube solo un poco, unos pocos centímetros, y vuelve a bajar.",
    "Sigue haciendo pulsos en el rango inferior sin extender del todo las piernas ni descansar arriba.",
    "Ponte de pie por completo cuando termines la serie."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "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."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Knie in Linie mit den Zehen und lass sie nicht nach innen einknicken.",
    "Bleib in der unteren Hälfte der Kniebeuge; wer zwischen den Pulsen aufsteht, nimmt die Spannung weg, für die diese Übung gedacht ist.",
    "Halte die Pulse klein und schnell, aber kontrolliert; federe nicht aus der Tiefe ab."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén las rodillas en línea con las puntas de los pies; no dejes que se vayan hacia dentro.",
    "Quédate en la mitad inferior de la sentadilla; ponerte de pie entre pulsos elimina la tensión que busca este ejercicio.",
    "Haz los pulsos pequeños y rápidos, pero controlados; no rebotes en el fondo."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/squat-pulse-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/squat-pulse-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "squat-pulse");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.