Pendulum Squat

Also known as: Pendulum Squat Machine, Lever Pendulum Squat

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Body Part: Legs

Description

A plate-loaded machine squat in which your back rests on a pad that swings along a fixed arc while your feet stay on an angled platform. The arc lets you sink into a very deep squat with your torso supported, so the quadriceps do most of the work and the glutes help drive you out of the bottom.

How to Perform

Load plates onto the machine's lever and step onto the foot platform with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Lean back against the pad, set your shoulders under the shoulder pads and grip the handles on top of them.
Straighten your legs to take the weight and release the safety lever if your machine has one.
Brace your core and bend your knees and hips to lower yourself as the pad swings down along its arc.
Go as deep as you can while your heels stay flat and your lower back stays on the pad.
Push through your whole foot to stand back up, stopping just before your knees lock.
After the last rep, engage the safety lever if there is one and step off the platform.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Place your feet lower on the platform to focus on the quads, or a little higher to bring in more glutes.
Let your knees travel forward past your toes at the bottom; that deep knee bend is what works the quads.
Take a breath and brace before each rep, then breathe out once you pass the hardest point on the way up.
Hold the handles lightly to stay in position; do not pull on them to sink deeper.
Start light to learn the machine's arc before you add plates.
Use the same foot position every session so you can compare your weights from week to week.

Common Mistakes

Lifting the heels off the platform at the bottom
Letting the knees cave inward on the way up
Letting the lower back come off the pad and round at the bottom
Doing half reps with a heavy load instead of using the full depth the machine allows
Dropping fast into the bottom and bouncing out of it, which jolts the knees
Pushing through the toes instead of the whole foot
Locking the knees hard at the top, which takes the tension off the quads