There aren’t many actions that showcase a mixture of strength, stability, coordination, and talent fairly just like the pistol squat.
As a efficiency objective, the pistol squat presents you with a tremendous alternative to problem your self and see what you’re able to with arduous work and constant follow — all whereas building some severe decrease body strength and stability alongside the best way.
Mastering the pistol squat is a very talked-about objective, however getting started and determining how to progress can really feel overwhelming. Whether you need to obtain your very first pistol squat or improve the variety of reps you are able to do, on this article, I’ll offer you step-by-step steerage to get there.
You’ll be taught:
Plus, I’ve added a enjoyable bonus problem you may sort out once you’re prepared!
What Is a Pistol Squat?
A pistol squat is a sophisticated, unilateral, lower-body exercise during which you carry out a single-leg squat, descending till your glute nearly touches your heel (i.e., a “rock-bottom” place) whereas holding the other leg out in entrance of you. It requires strength in your quads, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves, and core, and your ft and ankles do a lot of stabilizing work.
Essentially, the pistol squat is a strength talent — an exercise requiring each strength and talent — that may be developed by way of constant follow. But there’s a twist. Unlike different strength expertise, the pistol squat additionally requires stability (a complete lot of it) and mobility. This mixture makes it a notably difficult exercise!
What to Know Before You Pistol Squat
Two questions come up frequently concerning pistol squats, so let’s handle these first.
Question #1. Do Pistol Squats Hurt Your Knee?
The commonest query in regards to the pistol squat is, “But won’t that hurt the knee?”
This is a legitimate concern contemplating many individuals have been taught — usually, adamantly so — that the knees ought to by no means journey previous the toes when squatting. However, expertise has proven that for people who don’t have knee points, deep squats can completely be secure.
That mentioned, sure exercises might by no means be applicable for each distinctive body.
Pistol squats is probably not best for you should you at the moment have (or have a historical past of) ache and discomfort in your:
- Knees
- Hips
- Lower again
- Ankles
- Feet
Question #2. What’s the Appropriate Footwear?
Many folks surprise if they need to put on sneakers or go barefoot when doing pistol squats.
Pistol squats are finest carried out along with your foot (together with ball and heel) rooted firmly into the ground, with all toes urgent down. Because of this, a shoe with a thick, squishy sole will make it considerably more durable to stability throughout a pistol squat. Most of us have a tendency to have higher stability barefoot or whereas sporting sneakers with a very skinny and versatile sole.
When you’re beginning out, you may discover that sporting a sturdy shoe with a barely elevated heel (for instance, a Nike Metcon or an Olympic-lifting shoe) offers you a slight benefit and might compensate for a lack of mobility. That mentioned, we encourage you to work in your mobility so that you’re not counting on a particular shoe so as to carry out a pistol squat.
Interested in working one-on-one with me, Head Coach Jen Comas, to accomplish your health and fitness targets? Learn extra about our GGS Coaching program.
7 Progressions to Help You Master the Pistol Squat
Before we dive into how to do a full pistol squat, let’s start with the progressions you need to use to be sure to’re advancing safely, fairly than tackling the pistol squat earlier than you’re prepared. The following exercises will assist you develop the strength and stability vital for secure pistols.
Throughout this text, you’ll discover I encourage you to create pressure in your arms and squeeze your fists. Maintaining pressure in your arms and fists will assist you stability. To higher perceive this concept, take into consideration somebody strolling a tightrope — their arms are by no means smooth and unfastened at their sides; as a substitute, their arms are prolonged with loads of pressure all through.
1. Narrow-Stance Squat with Counterweight
Before you may get to a rock-bottom squat with one leg, you have got to give you the chance to do it with two! That’s why I like to recommend beginning with a narrow-stance squat utilizing a counterweight.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Stand along with your ft collectively.
- Hold a gentle plate or dumbbell (10 kilos or lighter) out in entrance of you to use as a counterweight, which is able to assist with stability.
- Descend into a rock-bottom place whereas conserving your ft firmly planted on the ground. Avoid lifting your toes, rocking round in your ft, or elevating your heels.
- Stand up in a easy and managed method. Resist the temptation to “bounce” out of the underside place.
Aim for 5–8 reps, conserving the reps easy and managed. When you are able to do that, put aside the counterweight and take a look at it with simply your body weight.
Once you may carry out the narrow-stance squat (both with or with out a counterweight) for 5–8 reps, you’re prepared to transfer on to the subsequent development.
Note: The narrow-stance squat, with or with out a counterweight, will all the time be a implausible warm-up motion. I encourage you to embrace 5–8 reps of it earlier than doing any extra pistol squat work.
2. Slow Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift to Single-Leg Balance
Excellent stability is non-negotiable for the pistol squat. Like so many different expertise, stability is one thing you may enhance considerably with constant training. One drill I really like for growing stability is the sluggish single-leg Romanian deadlift to single-leg stability.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Stand along with your ft about hip-width aside.
- Firmly plant your proper foot into the ground.
- Extend your proper arm out to your aspect and create pressure all through your arm, squeezing your hand into a fist.
- Keep your head and backbone in a impartial place and lock your gaze onto one thing that isn’t shifting, ideally one thing on the ground a number of ft in entrance of you.
- Keep your hips and shoulders sq., hinge at your hips, and raise your left foot off the ground, elevating it behind you as your higher body tilts ahead.
- Stop as soon as you may’t push your hips again any additional or when your higher body is parallel with the ground.
- Reverse the motion to rise up straight.
- As you stand, increase your left knee till your thigh is parallel with the ground and stability for 3–5 seconds in your proper foot.
Aim for 5–8 reps per aspect, conserving the reps easy and managed.
If the total drill is simply too difficult proper now, get rid of the single-leg Romanian deadlift portion and simply work on the single-leg stability a part of the drill for 5–8 reps per leg, holding every rep 5–10 seconds. You can do that all through the day whereas finishing different duties, resembling brushing your tooth or ready on your espresso to brew.
Once you may carry out each the narrow-stance squat for 5–8 reps and the sluggish single-leg Romanian deadlift to single-leg stability for 5–8 reps per aspect, you’re prepared to transfer on to the third development.
Note: Much just like the narrow-stance squat, this stability exercise will all the time be a implausible warm-up motion or an exercise to revisit periodically to proceed working in your stability.
4. Box-Assisted Pistol Squat
You’ve made it this far, and also you’re effectively in your means to attaining a pistol squat! It’s time to start tying every part along with box-assisted pistol squats.
In a box-assisted pistol squat, you carry out a single-leg squat down to a field (or chair), then you definately stand again up.
Start with a field height that enables you to squat till your thighs are parallel with the ground. As you progress, slowly decrease the height of the field to make it tougher.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Place the field behind you.
- Stand shut to the field along with your ft collectively.
- Firmly press your proper foot into the ground. Imagine you might be rooted to the bottom by way of your toes, the ball of your foot, and your heel.
- Balancing in your proper leg, raise your left leg and lengthen it out in entrance of you, flexing your left foot.
- Extend your arms out in entrance of you and squeeze your arms into fists, creating pressure by way of your arms.
- Descend into a single-leg squat till you sit down on the field behind you.
- Once you’re seated, squeeze your fists a little tighter, have interaction by way of your core, and use the strength and stability of your proper leg to stand again up.
Aim for 5–8 reps per aspect.
Once you may carry out this drill with a field height that has you squatting beneath parallel, you’re prepared to transfer on to the subsequent development.
5. Pistol Squat to a Box
The pistol squat to a field is completely different from a box-assisted pistol squat. In this drill, you gained’t sit down on the field — you’ll simply flippantly faucet it along with your glutes earlier than standing again up. This is the subsequent step in building strength and stability, taking you one step nearer to your pistol squat.
For this drill, you’ll want a field height that enables you to squat till your thighs are parallel (or simply beneath parallel) with the ground.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Place the field behind you.
- Stand shut to the field along with your ft collectively.
- Firmly press your proper foot into the ground. Imagine you might be rooted to the bottom by way of your toes, the ball of your foot, and your heel.
- Balancing in your proper leg, raise your left leg and lengthen it, flexing your foot.
- Extend your arms out in entrance of you and squeeze your arms into fists, creating pressure by way of your arms.
- Descend into a single-leg squat till you may flippantly faucet the field along with your glutes. (Remember, you’re not sitting all the best way down!)
- As quickly as your glutes make contact with the field, squeeze your fists a little tighter, have interaction by way of your core, and use the strength and stability of your proper leg to stand again up.
How to Do a Proper Pistol Squat
Now comes the actually enjoyable half — the total pistol squat! If you’ve labored by way of the progressions, a lot of this may really feel acquainted to your body by now.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Stand along with your ft collectively.
- Firmly press your proper foot into the ground. Imagine you might be rooted to the bottom by way of your toes, the ball of your foot, and your heel.
- Balancing in your proper leg, raise your left leg and lengthen it out in entrance of you, flexing your foot.
- Extend your arms and squeeze your arms into fists, creating pressure out of your shoulders to your arms.
- Descend into your pistol squat.
- Once you attain the rock-bottom place (or as little as your body safely permits you to go), squeeze your fists a little tighter, have interaction by way of your core, and use the strength and stability of your proper leg to stand again up.
- Repeat for reps, or change sides.
You did it! Congratulations!
Now that you just’re acquainted with pistol squat progressions and the pistol squat, let’s go over some widespread errors and roadblocks to refine your method and assist hold you sturdy and secure.
3 Common Pistol Squat Mistakes to Avoid
There’s no denying it: The pistol squat is a tough exercise, and method errors can simply slip into your training. Let’s go over three widespread errors and the way to keep away from them.
Mistake #1: Bouncing Out of the Bottom Position
The first widespread mistake is bouncing out of the underside place, or in different phrases, descending in a short time into the rock-bottom place and making an attempt to use the body’s momentum (as a substitute of strength) to stand again up.
This method is sort of dangerous and might make your joints very sad. Instead of utilizing momentum, decelerate. Try to improve your strength and management your tempo so you may carry out your pistol squats safely.
Mistake #2: Moving Around on the Stabilizing Foot
The second widespread mistake is rocking and rolling round or lifting the toes on the stabilizing foot. This is often a type of compensation for a lack of stability — besides it does the other.
The much less floor space your foot has involved with the ground, the more durable it will likely be to stability. Focus on bettering your stability with the drills outlined above so that you’ll really feel sturdy and secure when standing on one foot.
Mistake #3: Attempting Pistol Squats Without Adequate Mobility
Lastly, I usually see of us try pistol squats with out having the required mobility to carry out them appropriately.
Providing a resolution for each mobility problem standing between you and a pistol squat is past the scope of this text. However, I’ve included some warm-up exercises (together with video demos) beneath that you could be discover useful for bettering your mobility. If you’re experiencing mobility limitations, we suggest working with a coach or a physiotherapist to assist you handle your particular wants.
Warm-up
- Bodyweight squat x 10
- Deep squat with rotation x 10 per aspect
- Ankle rock x 10 per aspect
- Squat to ahead fold x 10
- Downward canine with heel drop x 10 per aspect
Are you a health and fitness skilled? Make certain you keep away from these 5 teaching errors once you work with feminine shoppers.
Troubleshooting Roadblocks
Even with step-by-step steerage, you may run into two widespread roadblocks. Let’s troubleshoot!
Roadblock #1: Difficulty Holding the Opposite Leg Up
Some of us get all the best way to a pistol squat, solely to understand it’s not the squatting that’s giving them hassle. Instead, they’re struggling to maintain the other leg in place.
If that’s the case for you, strive working towards pistol squats off a field.
Solution: Pistol Squats Off a Box
Pistol squats off a field permit you to hold working towards and building strength with the motion and supply a little wiggle room so that you don’t have to maintain your reverse leg up fairly as high.
As you proceed working towards your pistol squats, you’ll develop hip flexor strength, which is able to assist you hold your leg prolonged.
For this drill, you’ll want a field that’s about 12 inches tall — simply sufficient to give your leg a little room if it wants to drop down.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Holding your counterweight, step onto the field and stand along with your ft collectively.
- Firmly press your proper foot into the field. Imagine you might be rooted to the bottom by way of your toes, the ball of your foot, and your heel.
- Grip your counterweight firmly and lengthen your arms, creating pressure out of your shoulders to your arms.
- Balancing in your proper leg, raise your left leg and lengthen it out in entrance of you, flexing your foot.
- Descend into your pistol squat.
- Once you get to the rock-bottom place, squeeze your counterweight a little tighter, have interaction by way of your core, and use the strength and stability of your proper leg to stand again up.
Aim for 3–5 reps per aspect, alternating sides between reps.
Bonus Challenge: Rollback Pistols
After all this tough work, let’s have a little enjoyable with a drill referred to as the rollback pistol! This is a wonderful means to embrace some playtime in your training. It may also have useful carryover to your pistol squat follow as a result of it requires a lot of consciousness to “stick” the touchdown.
Here’s the way you do it:
- Stand along with your ft collectively.
- Extend your arms out in entrance of you, and squeeze your arms into fists to create pressure by way of your arms.
- Slowly decrease your self down into your narrow-stance squat.
- Gently land your glutes onto the ground behind you.
- Tuck your chin into your chest and let your self roll backward; then, utilizing a little momentum, roll ahead.
- As you roll ahead, lengthen your left leg and bend your proper knee.
- Root your proper foot firmly into the ground.
- Engage by way of your core, squeeze your fists, and use your strength to raise your left leg off the bottom.
- Hold for a second or two, after which tuck your chin and roll again once more.
- This time, strive the opposite aspect!
Looking on your subsequent squat problem? Try these 5 superior squat variations.
While pistol squats will be intimidating initially, with constant training — and a few persistence — you may completely get there! Listen to your body, work by way of the progressions we coated, and take on a regular basis you want to be sure to’ll be sturdy and secure once you’re prepared to sort out the total pistol squat. And keep in mind to have enjoyable — benefit from the course of and have the benefit of all of the superb issues your body can do!
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