How to do a Pulse Back Squat
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Pulse Back Squat
Barbells
Squat Rack
Workouts with Pulse Back Squat
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Enhances the traditional back squat by incorporating a small, pulsing movement at the lowest point of the squat. This variation significantly increases time under tension for the glutes, quads, and hamstrings, promoting muscle endurance and growth. The pulsing action challenges the muscles to maintain engagement through a more extended range, leading to improved strength and muscle tone.
- Position a barbell on a rack that’s a notch lower than shoulder height.
- Grasp the bar with an overhand grip that’s wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Quarter-squat under the bar, center it just below the base of your neck on the “shelf” created by your shoulders and traps.
- Raise yourself out of the quarter-squat to lift the barbell off the rack, and step away from the rack.
- Position your feet close to shoulder-width apart.
- Keep proper form by engaging your core, straightening your back, gazing forward, and balancing the weight evenly between your feet.
- Hinge your hips back and bend your knees inline with your toes, to get into a squat. Maintain control in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings as you descend.
- Maintaining muscular tension, raise yourself a few inches out of the squat.
- Reverse this motion, and return to the squat position.
- Engage your quads, glutes, and hamstrings again. This time, fully extend your legs to your starting position to complete one rep.
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Alternative Exercises to Pulse Back Squat
1. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 9,950 TIMESBack Squat is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common lower body exercises. It’s a great compound exercise that can help build strength and muscle mass in your leg, especially your quadriceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking lower body strength in general.
2. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 3,894 TIMESLeg Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The exercise itself is fairly similar to a standard squat, with some key differences. The biggest of these differences is the added stability from supporting your back on the Leg Press Machine. The end result of these changes is a more stable movement that further emphasizes your quadriceps. Leg Press is an excellent exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass or strength in their quads.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press
3. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 3,169 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
4. Front Squat
93.4 mSCORESWAPPED 1,760 TIMESFront Squat is one of the most common variations of the more standard Back Squat. Like other squat variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps. By racking the bar in front of your body instead of behind, you can further emphasize your quads. While the movements are fairly similar, Front Squat may translate better to applications in sports and other real world activities.
5. Hack Squat
90.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,612 TIMESHack Squat is a variation of squats that utilizes a specific machine to add resistance. Like other squat variations, this exercise primarily targets your quads. The use of a machine can assist you by redistricting your range of motion more than with the use of free weights, as well as adds more stability to the movement.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Hack Squat Machine
6. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,605 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
7. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,344 TIMESDumbbell Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, Dumbbell Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads. The exercise itself is the same as a standard lunge except for the added weight from holding dumbbells in each hand. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their lunges a bit more challenging without adding more complexity to the movement.
8. Machine Leg Press
95.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,337 TIMESMachine Leg Press is a variation on the more standard Leg Press. Like the Leg Press, this is a compound exercise that primarily recruits the quadriceps. This is a great exercise for building strength and muscle mass in your quads. The use of a machine doesn’t change anything significant about this exercise, although your positioning may change depending on the machine you’re using.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press Machine
9. Smith Machine Squat
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,030 TIMESSmith Machine Squat is a variation on the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quads. The use of a Smith Machine restricts your range of motion, and adds significantly more stability to the movement. This makes this exercise a great choice for learning proper squat mechanics, and developing strength in your lower body.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Smith Machine
10. Air Squats
92.1 mSCORESWAPPED 826 TIMESAir Squats are a bodyweight variation of Squats. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Without any added resistance this is easily one of the most beginner friendly exercises out there. It’s a great way to start building strength, and working your way towards more advanced variations.
- Beginner
- Quads