Simply fill a couple gallon-sized jugs with water to act as a counterbalance. Here is a trainer-approved progression to help you build strength and work up to a pistol squat while staying injury free. Further, a pistol squat necessitates a large amount of strength and asking so much of your muscles and joints in (potentially) compromised positions is looking for trouble. Another common movement is the pistol squat, which really needs your individual structure taken into account. When you're working up to the full movement, Whitman recommends working on the mobility drills every day (that will help more than just your pistol squats, too). To perform a correct pistol squat and avoid getting injured in the process, you must be able to make contact with your hamstring against your calf without letting your heel raise up off the floor. Having Uncomfortable Conversations About Race, Dr. Fauci's Advice for Keeping Your Immunity Up. Further, the height at which the leg is held provides a slight counterbalance to make it easier for the lifter to stay balanced. Make sure to focus on hitting the proper depths as you work through the progressions—if you don't focus on doing the work correctly, you won't be able to pull off the move properly at the end. The strict box pistol squat is similar to the rocking version mentioned previously, but with some notable differences. If you struggle with this test, try hip mobility stretches like these. The ability to perform a deep, full knee flexion squat is needed before attempting to proceed in any of the unilateral pistol squat progressions. If you can do a full-range Bulgarian split squat with both legs and without losing your balance, move onto the next progression! If not,... Goal: 5 reps of back squats at your bodyweight. The next step in progressing toward a pistol squat is to become proficient with the single leg step down. All things considered, remember to be conservative with the exercises listed above by not performing a massive amount of reps in your first few workouts. About the progression: The following progression will take you to advanced versions of the one legged squat (also known as a pistol squat) and shrimp squats. I’m Avi Silverberg and this is the place where my friends and I nerd out about powerlifting technique. Alternatively, a backpack filled with textbooks (or anything heavy) and held with both hands can also work! The next progression to achieving a pistol squat is to show an even greater amount of leg strength and balance using the Bulgarian split squat. For lifters who are routinely performing unilateral calisthenics and/or have serious unilateral leg strength, you’ll be able to monitor yourself as you move from progression to progression — possibly landing your first pistol squat in your first workout. This content is imported from Instagram. Pistol Squat Progression Part 1: Mobility. This change in foot position shifts more work onto the front leg. Fact: The pistol squat also requires serious mobility in your hip joint. This exercise also eliminates the support from gymnastics rings or a pole, and forces the lifter to maintain sole control of their balance. It also makes use of a pair of light dumbbells to help the lifter balance, and it allows for no momentum to kickstart the ascent. To increase difficulty you can start from a lower sitting position. Loading more weight in front of you via a weight plate or set of dumbbells makes this requirement much easier — allowing you to focus on getting the basics down. If so give a pistol a try. Regressions that allow you to focus on building up your quad strength in a pistol squat specific manner will reign supreme over leg extensions and leg presses. Chair Pistol Squat. Trainer and former gymnast Beau Whitman is confident that he can help you master the pistol squat, which he calls "the hardest squat to learn." Hone your form with the progressions three to four days per week, especially on leg and full body workout days. If not then that’s your starting point, you have to find a way to become comfortable resting in the bottom by using assistance. By decreasing the assistance of the back leg, as shown in the video, we increase the demand of the front leg. Mobility test: To ensure your ankles are mobile enough, you should be able to perform a deep squat hold with your knees pushed forward and out to ensure you’re getting enough ankle flexion. PowerliftingTechnique.com is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Your knees will thank you later. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. Assisted Pistol Squat. Choose one of the following variations as a starting point and perform 3 sets of between 4 and 8 repetitions with periods of between 1 and 2 min of rest between each set.