While many people have the goal of being able to do pistol squats (or more advanced variations), they do not know how to get there. I have you covered! Master the fundamentals and the sky is the limit!
Here are 5 pistol squat progressions that will help you get your first pistol squat!
#1) Seated Single Straight Leg Lifts With Knee Hold
When many people perform pistol squats, one obstacle they encounter is they struggle to keep their extended leg from striking the floor when they reach the bottom position of the squat. This can be due to the hip flexor muscles not being strong enough. For pistol squats, and countless other exercises, hip flexor strength matters.
Coaching Tips:
- Sit on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Fully extend one leg, and plantarflex your foot (point it away from you).
- On the other side, bend your knee and hug/support your knee/leg with your arms and body. For the duration of the exercise, keep your body in this position.
- While keeping your leg fully extended and foot plantarflexed, lift your leg off the floor to a range where you can maintain proper form/don’t compensate.
- Hold for a count, then return to the starting position with control.
- 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 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.
#2) Concentric-Only Pistol Squats
This exercise teaches you how to perform the bottom to top component of the pistol squat.
Coaching Tips:
- Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning.
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. Pretend you are suctioning your feet to the floor.
- Extend both of your arms, 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).
- Squat down with both legs. Imagine you are pulling your body down with your legs. Don’t mindlessly drop down.
- Once you hit a range where you are able to maintain proper form, get into a pistol squat position, fully extend your non-working leg, contract your quads, plantarflex your foot (point it away from you), press away from the floor and stand up using one leg.
- 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, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Eccentric-Only Pistol Squats
This exercise teaches you how to perform the lowering component of the pistol squat.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on one foot, and have a slight bend in your knee. As for the non-working leg, extend your knee, contract your quads, and plantarflex your foot (point it away from you).
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. Pretend you are suctioning your foot to the floor.
- Extend both of your arms, 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 pistol squat. Imagine you are pulling your body down with your leg. Don’t mindlessly drop down.
- Once you hit a range where you are able to maintain proper form, stand up using both legs.
- 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, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#4) Half Kneeling Ankle Rocks
This exercise improves ankle dorsiflexion. Ankle dorsiflexion is a key component of pistol squats.
Start off doing this exercise using bodyweight only.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a half kneeling position, and bend both knees to roughly 90 degrees.
- Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Now press your hips forward by squeezing your glutes, slowly shift your bodyweight forward, and dorsiflex your ankle.
- Perform the reverse movements and return to the starting position.
- Perform 100% of the movements with control, and only apply very light pressure to the leg with the weight (if you are using weight).
- For the duration of the exercise, your full foot should remain in contact with the floor. Do not allow your heel to leave the floor, or for your foot to collapse in or fall out.
- 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.
#5) Kickstand Pistol Squats
This innovative pistol squat variation came to me in early 2020, and it did not disappoint!! Unlike regular pistol squats, you will keep the heel of your non-working leg on a towel/something that slides. This will give you a slight amount of assistance.
If you are still learning how to do pistol squats, this can be a great option. Even if you already excel at pistol squats, this variation makes performing higher rep sets much easier.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand on one foot, and have a slight bend in your knee. As for the non-working leg, extend your knee, contract your quads, plantarflex your foot (point it away from you), and rest your heel on a towel.
- Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. Pretend you are suctioning your foot to the floor.
- Extend both of your arms, 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 pistol squat, and slide your heel on the non-working side along the floor. Imagine you are pulling your body down with your leg. Don’t mindlessly drop down.
- Once you hit a range where you are able to maintain proper form, press away from the floor and return to the starting position.
- Use as little assistance from the non-working side as possible.
- 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, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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