Here are five common issues people experience when they are learning pistol squats. Unfortunately, as many people are not following a fundamentally sound program, and are not getting helpful coaching tips, they get frustrated with their lack of progress or sloppy form and abandon their goal of learning pistol squats, even if they are more than capable of excelling at them.
I have you more than covered as my Ultimate Pistol Squat Program troubleshoots and helps solve all of these issues that might be holding you back.
Problem #1: Inability To Keep Your Extended Leg/Foot From Striking The Floor, Or Your Quadriceps From Cramping
Do you struggle with pistol squats, not because you are unable to perform the eccentric and concentric components, but because you can’t keep your non-squatting leg fully extended and from striking the floor, or quadriceps from cramping. This can be attributed to your hip flexor muscles not being up to the task. Many people have weak hip flexor muscles, including elite athletes and trainees!
Here is one of my go-to exercises for strengthening the hip flexors.
Straight Leg Lifts
Coaching Tips:
- Sit on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Place an object so it’s in line with the outside of one of your lower legs.
- Fully extend both of your legs, plantarflex your feet (point them away from you), and keep your legs relatively close together.
- While keeping your legs fully extended, and feet plantarflexed, lift your leg over the object in a lateral direction, and then back to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your leg or foot to strike the object.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from hip to hip.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Check out my Ultimate Hip Flexor And Core Guide. Get STRONG hip flexors, improve your mobility and athleticism! Your “tight” hip flexors might be weak and need to get stronger! For “experienced beginners” to advanced trainees, and also coaches. Currently being followed by people in 31+ countries. Great for home AND gym workouts!
Problem #2: Lack Of Stability
In order to excel at pistol squats, and to make them look effortless, you need to possess extremely high levels of stability, including in the foot/lower leg, knee, hips, and lumbo-pelvic region. A lack of frontal plane stability is a major reason why many people find pistol squats impossible as you will often see the foot and knee falling in or collapsing out, hips shooting laterally, torso flexing laterally, or a combination of the above.
Here is one of my go-to exercises for improving frontal plane stability.
Skater Squats With Medial Band Resistance
This exercise strengthens the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and the muscles in the foot and lower leg.
Coaching Tips:
- Attach a band around a secure surface, and around your knee. The resistance should be coming medially, and there should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Stand on one foot, and have a slight bend in your knee. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- As for the non-working leg, keep it bent and close to the midline of your body. Contract your glutes and hamstrings on this side. Aim to keep your heel close to your glutes for the duration of the exercise.
- On the planted side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Extend both of your arms so they are chest height, make fists, and generate tension in your upper body.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Perform a single leg squat. Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and are approaching the top position.
- When you are performing the skater squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your leg. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
Are you looking to do your first pistol squat ever and have been really frustrated with your lack of progress? Or can you already do pistol squats but want to improve your form, increase your reps, and learn more advanced variations? If so, The Ultimate Pistol Squat Program is for YOU! Newly released and already being followed by people of all genders in at least 21 countries.
Problem #3: Falling Backwards While In The Bottom Position
When you reach the bottom position of the pistol squat and attempt to press away from the floor and return to the top position, do you hit a major roadblock and lose balance and tip backwards? A common culprit for this key issue can be a lack of ankle mobility, particularly dorsiflexion. Improving your ankle dorsiflexion can be a game-changer in improving your pistol squat performance.
Here is an awesome exercise for improving ankle mobility.
Dorsiflexion Lift-Offs
This exercise improves ankle mobility (particularly dorsiflexion).
Coaching Tips:
- Kneel on one leg, and gently rest your glutes on your heel.
- Place your other leg so it’s ahead of you, and so your foot is flat on the floor.
- On the front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the forward shifting components. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Now shift your bodyweight forward onto your foot, and dorsiflex your ankle. Your knee will likely travel past your toes. Keep your full foot in contact with the floor (maintain the tripod base).
- Then gently rock back and lift your toes and foot, and dorsiflex your ankle (point your foot towards you).
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your heel/back of your foot to leave the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
As lower leg/foot strength and stability, and being able to maintain the ever-important tripod foot base are hugely impactful, in my Ultimate Pistol Squat Program, I am including many exercises for improving lower leg and foot strength and stability.
Many people lose the tripod foot base as they allow their toes to lift from the floor. This makes them much more prone to tipping backwards, and it also reduces their ability to drive their body away from the floor and back to the top position of the pistol squat.
Here is one of my favourite exercises for strengthening the muscles in the lower leg and foot.
Calf Raises With Tibialis Posterior Focus
This exercise strengthens the tibialis posterior muscle, and the calf muscles. The tibialis posterior plays a huge role in supporting the medial arch in the foot, and is responsible for the inversion of the foot and the plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle. By squeezing the ball, there is a focus on planterflexion, inversion, and external rotation.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand with your feet on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Squeeze a ball between your heels. The ball should be underneath your ankle bones (medial malleoli). For the duration of the exercise, squeeze the ball. This will target the tibialis posterior muscle.
- You may lightly support yourself using your hands.
- Press up onto your tiptoes using both legs. Go to your full range.
- Pause for a count in the top position, contract your calf muscles, and really squeeze your feet into the ball.
- Now lower your heels down to the floor. Do so with complete control.
- For the duration of the exercise, be very mindful that you are pressing evenly through your forefeet/all of your toes.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
What About In The Meantime?
Two short term “crutches” that can allow you to work on your pistol squats (or pistol squat regressions) while you simultaneously work on improving your ankle mobility and foot/lower leg strength are:
- Elevating your heel on a small weight plate or other stable object. This “crutch” reduces the amount of ankle dorsiflexion that is required when performing pistol squats. Use the lowest surface height possible.
- Fully extending your arms and holding a light weight and using this as a counterbalance. Using a light weight for counterbalance can help prevent you from tipping backwards. Do not mistake this with when you make the exercise more challenging by holding a weight and keeping it very tight to your body. When using a weight as a counterbalance, use the lightest weight possible.
Problem #4: Lack Of Control During The Lowering Component Of The Pistol Squat
Does lowering yourself down to the bottom position of a pistol squat with control feel like an incredibly daunting task? Do you drop down to the bottom position of the squat using little to no control as you might lack the eccentric strength needed to perform the movement, hold on for dear life in the bottom position, and then attempt to press back up to the top position? This glaring mistake will make each rep feel significantly more challenging, and can place your body under needless stress.
Potential Solution: Performing Eccentric-Only Pistol Squats
The eccentric-only pistol squat is a great exercise for mastering the ever-important lowering component of the pistol squat. Once you are able to perform the lowering component of the pistol squat with solid technique, you will put yourself in a much better position to succeed at performing regular pistol squats.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on one foot, and have a slight bend in your knee. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Fully extend the non-working leg, and plantarflex your foot (point it away from you). Contract your quadriceps and glutes on this side. Keep this leg close to the midline of your body.
- On the planted side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Unlike step-downs where you allow the non-working leg to hang down in more of a vertical position, you will lift the non-working leg so it is in more of a horizontal position. This will be especially important as you approach the bottom position of the pistol squat. Otherwise your foot will strike the floor.
- Extend both of your arms so they are chest height, make fists, and generate tension in your upper body.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now perform a pistol squat and slowly lower to a range that allows you to maintain proper form.
- Once you hit your end range, put your other foot on the floor, press away from the floor and return to the top/starting position using both legs.
- Exhale after you have pressed away from the floor and are approaching the top position.
- When you are performing the pistol squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your leg. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, excessively round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
Get a package of The Ultimate Pull-Up Program and The Ultimate Pistol Squat Program for $157. Both programs regularly cost $97 each, so you save $37.
Problem #5: Getting Stuck In The Bottom Position, Or Having No Drive From The Ground Up
Can you successfully make it to the bottom position of the pistol squat but get stuck and lack the drive needed to return to the top position? This can be due to many reasons. Perhaps you dropped down to the bottom position using little to no control. Maybe you don’t possess the foot, knee, hip, or lumbo-pelvic stability needed to return to the top position with ease. Or perhaps your lower body is not yet strong enough to drive your body away from the floor and to the top position.
Potential Solution: Performing Concentric-Only Pistol Squats
The concentric-only pistol squat is a great exercise for mastering the ever-important lifting component of the pistol squat. This exercise will help you acquire the necessary technique, strength, and stability from the ground up so you can successfully complete regular pistol squats.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on two feet, and have a slight bend in your knees. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your feet should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your feet to the floor.
- Extend both of your arms so they are chest height, make fists, and generate tension in your upper body.
- Now perform a squat and slowly lower to a range that allows you to maintain proper form.
- Reinforce your tripod foot base. Fully extend the non-working leg, and plantarflex your foot (point it away from you). Contract your quadriceps and glutes on this side. Keep this leg close to the midline of your body.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now press away from the floor and return to the top/starting position using one leg.
- When you are performing the squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your legs. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position. Many people make this mistake.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, excessively round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side. In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Join THOUSANDS Of People From 86 Countries Worldwide And Get The Ultimate Pull-Up Program Now
