The single leg squat or pistol is one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises for the lower body.
You’ve got to be flexible enough to get into the deep bottom position.
You’ve got to be stable enough to keep your balance.
And you’ve got to be strong enough to lower yourself with control and then push yourself out of the bottom position.
So you have 3 different aspects that you need to work on to master this movement.
Why is it necessary?
It isn’t, but it’s cool.
I think it’s fun to do things that are difficult.
Mastery is a skill and practice is the path that leads there.
We practice many different forms of the pistol in our programs to help you build strength in the movement and to keep you progressing.
A single leg squat to the bench is one of the easier variations.
A single leg squat with the foot pushed out the back while dropping the knee to the ground makes it easier for people who lack sufficient flexibility.
And the TRX pistol allows you to feel your way into the deep position without having all the load over your bodyweight. Then using the TRX less helps you use your bodyweight more and the assistance less.
Using a pole as your only assistance forces you to sit into the true position, and this is one of the more advanced forms before doing the strict movement.
Want to get better at them?
Practice more. Practice the movement which is hardest for you with good form for 5-8 reps 2-3 days per week. 2-5 sets is plenty.
Ankle mobility is one of the limiting factors for people to get to the bottom position. If it’s stiff, it’ll need some mobilizing to loosen it up.
This simple mobility drill will help if you do it regularly. www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Foam rolling the calf and the quads will help too.
You can do more stretching and mobility work at home each day if you like.
We’ve already had some great success with our clients going through so many different exercises.
The most important thing is to give you best each time you train.
Do the most difficult variation of the exercise that you can do with good form.
Less reps than the time allocated is often advantageous,
so work hard and rest more if you need it.
Single Leg Squats are a staple of our Personal Training programs.
