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Pendulum Squat

Overall lower body, hip up
Pendulum Squat gif
Doing the Pendulum Squat right? Let your AI coach fix your form and build it into a plan made for you.
Targets: Glutes, Quads, Hamstring, Inner thighs

About

It's a workout that allows you to sit deep in the squat. The deeper you sit, the more you can use both your thighs and hip joints!

How to Pendulum Squat

Starting Position

1. Get on the pendulum squat machine and firmly secure your shoulders against the shoulder pads.

2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly turn your toes outward, hold the handles, and puff out your chest.

Proper Form

1. Slowly lower yourself down into a deep squat by bending your knees and hips together.

2. When your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower, please pause for a moment.

3. Push the floor with the entire foot to straighten your legs and slowly rise back to the starting position.

Breathing Technique

Breathe in while going down, and breathe out while coming up.

Precautions

1. Please be careful not to let your knees come too far inward or your toes extend too much.

2. Engage your core to prevent your back from excessively bending or twisting, and start with a weight that allows you to maintain proper form rather than a very heavy one.

From the Community

Pendulum Squat Community

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Pendulum Squat Related Reading

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    Full-body vs. split training: muscle and strength gains are the same — per a 2024 meta-analysis

    Full-body or split? For muscle growth and strength, the answer is neither — they're equal, per a 2024 J Strength Cond Res meta-analysis of 14 studies.

  • Progressive Overload Is the Only Variable That Actually Guarantees Muscle Growth.
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    Progressive Overload Is the Only Variable That Actually Guarantees Muscle Growth.

    Adding weight isn't the only way to progressively overload — reps work just as well, according to a 2024 RCT and an ACSM overview of 137 systematic reviews.

  • Lengthened partials build as much muscle as full reps — and may grow it faster per set
    What Actually Matters

    Lengthened partials build as much muscle as full reps — and may grow it faster per set

    Lengthened partials match full range-of-motion training for muscle growth — and beat it on a per-set basis, per a 2025 RCT across 15 sites with 297 participants.

  • RPE vs RIR: the number that tells you exactly how hard to push — backed by 4 RCTs
    Numbers Don't Lie

    RPE vs RIR: the number that tells you exactly how hard to push — backed by 4 RCTs

    RPE and RIR are two ways to measure effort in real time. Here's what 4 RCTs say about which one works, when, and for whom.

  • Mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth — and 5 peer-reviewed reviews in Sports Med explain exactly why
    What Actually Matters

    Mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth — and 5 peer-reviewed reviews in Sports Med explain exactly why

    Mechanical tension isn't just one factor in muscle growth — it's the main one. Here's what the science actually says, across 5 reviews in top sports-science journals.

  • Workout duration doesn't predict muscle growth — sets do, per a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies
    Numbers Don't Lie

    Workout duration doesn't predict muscle growth — sets do, per a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies

    Stop watching the clock. Muscle growth comes down to sets per workout, not minutes on the floor — according to a 2020 meta-analysis of 111 studies.

Curious about a Leg workout plan that includes the Pendulum Squat

Pendulum Squat Alternatives

Barbell Squat

Barbell Squat

V Squat

V Squat

More

Pendulum Squat vs

  • Pendulum Squat vs Barbell Squat
  • Pendulum Squat vs Lunge
  • Pendulum Squat vs Leg press

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