We need squats every day. Whether you bend down to tie your shoelaces or you need to pick something you dropped on the floor, you can’t help but somehow perform a squatting position in your everyday life.
That is why, most people come up to the conclusion that squats is something they need to master for themselves. It should be something that their body is expert in.
Remember that our body adopts and stretches according to the strength and the movements it has been executing on a regular basis. If you are someone who does not do regular stretching, you can’t expect to have flexible joints and movement. Or if you are someone who is not used to weight lifting or exercising, you can’t expect that you have very strong and healthy bones and muscles, too. Thinking about it now, you might want to rewind, press the restart button, and start a whole new different journey of body building and start by taking the healthier road.
An Introduction to Squats
But today we are going to focus on one particular type of squats, which is the squat pulses.
Now, a lot of people underestimated the power of the squat pulses. But it is definitely an awesome type of squat. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, male or female, young or old. You would see and be surprised on what this exercise could do to your body, if you only perform them on a proper way.
So, for this article, we will teach you the proper guide on how to do this exercise. Plus, we will lay down 9 benefits of squat pulses that most people don’t know. And lastly, we will also include the basic alternative squat exercises. Let’s get started!
What is squat pulses?
Squat pulses or Pulse squats (it depends on how you want to call it) is a type of squat exercise that basically involves the same movement. The difference is that you hold it down a little bit once you squat and you pulse up and down but not too far up.
Don’t worry, we will have a more detailed guide on how to perform this exercise properly.
While most squats focus on the butt, making it firmer and larger as you do the exercises regularly, the squat pulses also target your leg muscles and your core. Giving you a nice set and shapes of legs and of course the undeniable set of abs. Isn’t that cool?
How to perform the squat pulses?
Now, you have really got to be very careful when you do this exercise. You always have to make sure that you do the steps exactly as accurate as possible. All types of squats can be critical and dangerous for your spine and waist. So, you only want to follow the accurate and proper steps.
Step by Step Process
So, here it goes…
First, you want to find a spot where the ground is nice and even (and not slippery), where you can extend your hands and perform the exercise well. You have to stand keeping your feet being spread in a shoulder width or hip width distance.
Make sure that your toes are pointed out, with your legs nice and straight. It’s really up to where you wanted to position your hands, depending also on what type of squat exercise you want to perform. So you can put your hands on the sides, or on to your waist, or behind your head, or clasp together in front of your chest.
Then you start a single one plie’ or you come sit down to your butt, then you want to hold them for a few seconds.
Then you slowly come up, maybe a quarter-half way up and then you go down. You have to stay low and parallel to that body position.
So, you repeat these steps – the tiny ups and down, again and again, making pulses with your body.
Now that you see it, we think that you also know by now why this exercise is called squat pulses. Technically, you pulse up and down.
What could squat pulses do to my body?
You want to know the best part of this exercise? Squat pulses offer your body a gazillion benefits. From your health to your physique, to your lifestyle and convenience, squat pulses are game changer.
One thing that people love the most about performing the squat pulses and actually incorporating it to their workout routine is that this exercise is very doable. You can basically do this anywhere. Whether you are at home or you are travelling, you never have to cut a day workout. Plus, this exercise does not require any equipment. So, who needs a gym for that?
You might be wondering already what are these body benefits we have been talking about. So, we listed down 9 of the most amazing benefits that you can get from squat pulses. Read more.
Firms and shapes your butt like no other
We all know for a fact that squats are the fairy godmother for ladies who makes their butt wishes come true. But the squat pulses would shape and firm your butt faster than any type of squats.
Because of its quick and constant pulse technique, it develops the butt in a constant level, making it bigger and firmer. Aside from shaping your butt, it also develops the muscles behind your waist which makes your body more defined and of better shape. So, go stretching until you get your desired Kardasian butt.
Say ‘good bye’ to belly fats
Most people are not aware of the fact that squat pulses are amazing cardio exercise. It gets off a ton of sweat from your body, releasing more and more fats every time. Getting rid of your belly fats is the first step in building your abs and toning your body, and squat pulses does that. It goes through the entire process of burning your fats first.
So, make sure to take a selfie before you incorporate the squat pulses to your workout because you are going to see your belly fats no more in the future!
Develop core muscles
Squat pulses don’t only work for your butt, they also hit your legs, your glutes and of course your core. As you pulse your way up and down when you do the exercise, your core muscles like your abs and your obliques slowly form and work their way out.
Just keep performing this exercise, keep going, and expect J-Lo core in no time.
Enhance feet and legs strength
Feet and legs benefits should go without saying. But since a lot of people seemed skeptical about it so we’re here to break the good news. Yes, squats can strengthen your feet and your legs which in effect, would enhance your body stance.
In squat pulses, you only use your feet and your legs for balance and for support in this exercise. Your entire body depends solely on how strong and consistent your feet, your leg bones and your knees are.
So, basically, if you know someone who is struggling from weak feet, knees and legs, this exercise is highly recommended. Just make sure that you do it slowly by slowly and never shock your body.
Tone your legs
Our next favorite effect that we can get from squat pulses is the thing that it does to our legs.
Most people think that squats are only for the butt. But that’s not the case. Squat pulses work your legs out, too. You would notice that you’re squeezing and giving tension to them as supposed to giving them rest and relax them as you go up.
So, this exercise is perfect to incorporate if you are in body building, because it makes your legs massive and gorgeous.
Develop resilience and agility
The struggle to maintain the balance is a challenging area in this exercise. We love how squat pulses help you develop resiliency and agility to your body, abilities that are useful not just in body building or in workout but in your daily life, too.
This exercise trains your body to be disciplined in a consistent positioning and to be able to move quickly and actively.
Burn calories
Trust us on this one! Squat pulses build you more muscles which makes it faster to burn calories. So, basically this exercise is amazing to eliminate toxic calories inside your body.
It improves blood circulation
Squat pulses exercise is not only beneficial to your physique, but it’s awesome for your health, too. Doing this exercise in a regular basis improves the circulation of your blood all over your body and helps you get rid of the symptoms of poor blood circulation, like, over fatigue, paleness, numbness and the like.
This exercise helps revitalize your heart to pump more blood, as well. As you steam out lots of sweat, it also works for the most important muscle in your body, which is the heart.
It develops balance and improves posture
Do you know that beauty queens always do the squat pulses to improve their body posture? Yup, they do, because it really is effective to maintain a good posture!
The exercise requires you to have a steady and neutral spine for the entire workout. Basically, it helps you keep a nice and straight backbone and chest
Sure enough that squat pulses help you improve or maintain mobility and balance, too.
Are there any alternative exercises for the squat pulses?
If for some reason you could not perform this exercise, or you just simply wanted to perform different variations to make your workout more fun, then our next list is for you.
Plie` squat pulses
Plie` squat pulses will work more on your thigh area which is your inner thighs, your glutes, your hamstrings and your quads. This is a great variation to perform if you want to focus more on your thighs.
Squat hold pulses
Squat hold pulses exercise is directly identical to simply squat pulses. The only difference is that you hold on to your sitting or squatting position a little longer, before you jump to the pulses.
For how long would you hold your squat really depends on you. Best to have a trainer for this one.
Sumo squat pulses
You might be wondering what is the difference between sumo squat pulses and the normal squat pulses, as you often hear the term from your pals in the gym.
The difference is actually in your feet position. Your feet is positioned wider than your hips just like a sumo wrestler. This way, your knees are more pressed out and your core is more engaged, making your butt extended more to the back.
Pile squat pulses
The pile squat pulses on the other hand is doing the entire squat pulse steps with a dumbbell or any weight carried by your hand. This would improve your arm strength, as you strengthen your lower body, too.
We can lay down more and more benefits that the squat pulses can give. But it is really best to see them for yourself. We encourage you to never be afraid and try this exercise. You’ll see lots of improvement even on your first 30 days of doing it religiously. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, as well. It is always fun and exciting (and more motivating!) to do this exercise in a group full of believers!
Hopefully, this article sums up about everything that you need to know about squat pulses. Don’t forget to stay safe, and to always stay healthy. Enjoy!