Legs · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Pulse Squat
How to do the bodyweight pulse squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and drop into a squat. Hold the bottom position and pulse up and down through a few inches of range, keeping constant tension, then stand fully between sets of pulses.
- 1Feel your quads and glutes burn from the constant tension in the bottom
- 2range
- 3Push your hips back and down and keep your weight in your heels
- 4Keep the chest tall and core braced through every pulse
Common mistakes
- Do not let your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Avoid rounding your back or letting your chest collapse
- Do not bounce out of the bottom; keep the pulses controlled
Muscles worked
The bodyweight pulse squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the bodyweight pulse squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.