Pistol squat progression

What is the pistol squat?

The hardest variation of one legged squat – the pistol squat is considered as one of the best lower body bodyweight conditioning exercises. Pistol squat is even considered as a benchmark for leg strength. To perform this exercise one has to squat down on one leg while keeping the other leg straightened forward and parallel to the ground. To perform a pistol squat you will need a good amount of leg strength, good sense of balance and flexibility in your hips.

The progression

For the majority of people performing a single leg squat is quite challenging. I will give you some guidelines and show some exercises that will help you to progress to a full pistol squat.

It took me about two weeks to progress from a one leg box squat to a full pistol squat. For someone who can’t do even one single leg box squat the progression to a full pistol squat will definitely be longer.

Before we start you need to make sure that you can perform at least 50 regular squats with a good form.

1. Forward lunge. This is a bit harder exercise than a regular squat, because it puts more strain on each leg. It also gives a good stretch. Remember to switch legs so that you get a well rounded workout for both legs.



2. Side lunge. This exercise is similar to the forward lunge but it’s a little harder because it simulates the movement of a single leg squat even more. Many people can’t perform a full side lunge because they lack flexibility. If you are one of them don’t give up. Keep working until you reach a level where the thigh of the bent leg is parallel to the ground.



3. Elevated lunge. Put one leg on an elevated surface, for example a bed or a chair. Squat down on the other leg. This is as close as you can get to a one legged squat without lifting one leg off of the ground.



4. Single leg box squat. Step on a chair or any other elevated surface. Squat down on one leg and let the other leg hang down.



5. Supported pistol squat. Maybe your legs are strong enough to perform a pistol squat but if you are new to this exercise you probably can’t maintain a good balance while performing squatting. So before rushing into a full pistol squat, practice this exercise while reclining against a wall. Makes sure that your leg muscles are strong enough to perform the full range of motion.



6. Pistol squat. When performing a full pistol squat hold your hands in front of you. It will help you to maintain balance. Make sure that the other leg never touches the ground and is always fully stretched in front of you. There are two ways to perform a pistol squat. Doing full squatting motion like shown in the picture below or squatting down until your thigh is approximately parallel to the ground. I prefer the second version. It puts more strain on my leg muscles because they work all the time. If you go all the way down your muscles rest at the bottom. Both techniques are correct, you can chose whichever suits you the best.

How to train

Before you start training you should try to do these exercises to determine your current leg strength. Even if you feel confident about your leg strength start with the lunge exercises. If you can do 30 repetitions of the forward lunge with good form move on to the side lunge. If you can do 30 repetitions of the side lunge move on to the elevated lunge. If you can do for example only 13 repetitions of elevated lunge then these three exercises is the range you should train in. Perform the forward and side lunges one set of 20 repetitions each as a warm-up and then the elevated lunge 3 to 5 sets of maximum repetitions. If you can do 30 repetitions of the elevated lunge move on to the single leg box squat.

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When you do this exercise the first time maybe you won’t be able to go all the way down. Don’t worry. Work in the range you feel comfortable in. Don’t forget to do one set of each of the previous exercises as a warm-up. If you can do 10 repetitions of the single leg box squat move one to the supported pistol squat. Same rules apply. When you can perform 10 repetitions of this exercise it’s time to move on to the full pistol squat. As with the single leg box squat and the supported pistol squat you might not be able to go all the way down the first time you do a full pistol squat. Work with what you have. Remember when you move on to the next exercise you have to do one set of all the previous exercises. The target exercise always has to be the one that is the hardest for you. Perform 3 to 5 sets of maximum repetitions of that exercise.

From my experience if your aim is to reach a level where you can do a certain exercise - pistol squat, one hand push-up, muscle up or any other exercise, its best to train the specific muscles twice or three times a week. One workout has to be hard and you should push yourself to beat the previous week’s results. In the next one or two workouts you should go easy and do only one set of the hardest exercise you can do with maximum repetitions. I like to do the easy workouts after my usual upper body workouts, while I’m still warm.

Conclusion

If you want to build leg strength and muscle mass by using only bodyweight exercises I strongly encourage you to give this exercise a try. Since I’m able to perform a pistol squat I’ve also felt some improvements while doing long jumps and trail running.

If you are able to perform a full pistol squat and still seek for more challenge you can use a sand bag or a set of dumbbells to make this exercise harder. I also like to perform pistol squats while balancing on a log.