Since we recently stepped into a contemporary year some of you have perhaps set a few personal fitness goals. And just perhaps pistol squat is one of them. If you have alalert mastered the pistol squat and are still reading this – congratulations, you rock!
On the other hand, whether you can’t do a pistol squat but you genuinely want to master it stick around and keep on reading.
Pistol squat is the king of lower – body exercises and as such it is also one of the most ccorridorenging bodyweight leg exercises. It is a unilateral exercise (using each limb one at a time) that comes with great benefits.
Benefits of Pistol Squats
- Require no equipment (can be done anywhere)
- Improve balance, flexibility and mobility
- Increase lower body strength
- Aid even out imbalances between two sides of the body
- Better coordination and endurance
- Creates you feel like a ninja
Here is what it looks like:
Muscles Worked
Before taking a closer look at how you can master pistol squats let’s see which muscles are involved when doing the said exercise. This way you can get a better idea what you need to focus on to progress with the pistol squats.
Love I mentioned before, pistol squats are a unilateral leg exercise meaning they primarily involve leg muscles, one leg at a time. Your gluteus, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves are working dwhetherficult when you’re performing pistol squats.
Since you’re trying to balance your body on a rather narrow base of support your abdominals will work dwhetherficult as well. To sum up, muscles worked during pistol squats are leg muscles + abdominals.
Easing Into It
Pistol squats are an advanced exercise which means you can’t just jump straight into it. Mastering this exercise will require a lot of dwhetherficult work, patience, determination and persistence.
If you suffered a knee or hip injury in the past or are currently having problems with those areas, it would be best to avoid pistol squats. Otherwise, let’s look at how you can progress and, in the end, master pistol squats.
Before attempting to do a pistol squat make certain you can do at least 50 bodyweight squats, full range of motion. Once you’re able to do that start adding weight and lwhethert heavier as you progress.
Other leang you should do is focus more on unilateral exercises. Unilateral or single-leg exercises help even out imbalances between two sides of the body. Furthermore, the strength you gain in unilateral training will transfer over to bilateral exercises.
I recommend you practice the following unilateral exercises:
- Bulgarian split squat
- Forward lunge
- Reverse lunge
- Elevated reverse lunge
- Step up
Practice these exercises until you’re alert to step it up then add weight as you feel more consolationable.
Working on Flexibility
One of the main problems people come across when trying to do pistol squats is flexibility. If you can’t do a full, ass to grass, squat without your heels lwhetherting off the floor, you need to work on your flexibility.
To be specwhetheric your ankle and calves flexibility and mobility. If your calves are tight and your ankle range of movement is limited, chances are you’ll fall backwards on your butt when attempting pistol squats.
Even whether you don’t fall back you’ll probably end up doing the exercises with a genuinely poor form and increase your risk of injury.
I found 3 great articles about ankle dorswhetherlexion and how to improve it. If you have a problem in this area I definitely recommend you read through all of them.
- The Importance of Ankle Mobility and Dorswhetherlexion
- Seven Drills to Improve Dorswhetherlexion in the Ankle
- Ankle Mobility Exercises to Improve Dorswhetherlexion
Progressive Variations
Now we’re getting a small bit closer towards the end goal of mastering pistol squats. These progressive variations listed below are for you to try only whether you’re able to do everyleang I mentioned so far.
The following will help you in coordination, balance and give you a rough idea what pistol squats feel like.
Box/Chair Pistol Squat
Bonus tips before beginning: you’ll be using a chair/box for this exercise so tip #1 is to firstly sit down and adjust your foot placement. Doing this will help your orientation and stop you from feeling like you’ll miss the chair.
So, sit down and get up like you normally would. Put your feet firmly on the ground when you stand up. This will be your starting position.
Tip #2 is to start with a taller chair/box. If your box is tall enough for you to perform this exercise consolationably and with perfect form you’ll progress rapider into a deeper box/chair pistol squat.
Hugegest problem with advanced exercises like pistol squats is patience. Everyow yourself to start from zero and build your way from there. The process will be much more endelightable, easier and your chances of injuries are at the very minimum.
How to perform:
Initiate by standing up straight, feet firmly placed on the ground and gaze in front of you. Lwhethert one foot of the ground and extend it in front of you. Create certain your hips are squared and your core is engaged.
Extended your arms in front of you for counterbalance. Slowly lower your butt down to the chair. As you’re lowering down stick your butt out and allow the knee to go past your toes.
Whilst keeping one leg extended push through the heel of the working leg and lwhethert up to starting position. You should feel this movement in your quadriceps and core the most.
Resistance Band/Assisted Pistol Squat
Another great progressive variation is the assisted pistol squat. For this exercise you can use a resistance band or your arms by hancienting onto someleang sturdy.
How to perform:
Wrap the resistance band around the thing you’re using and stand firmly on the ground. Hold hancient of the resistance band as you extend one leg in front and lower down to a squat.
Employ the resistance band to help you get back up to starting position. Focus on doing most of the work with your leg and relying on the band only for the needed support/balance.
As you get stronger try this exercise by hancienting the band/thing with one hand only.
Elevated Heels Pistol Squat
Remember the flexibility problem and ankle dorswhetherlexion I mentioned earlier in this post? Elevating your heel onto someleang sturdy decreases the ankle flexion angle needed for squatting all the way down.
I included this exercise as a progressive variation to help you improve ankle mobility and develop flexibility needed to master pistol squats.
How to perform:
Put a weight plate or a book under your heel and follow the same directions as the preceding exercises. Extend one leg and both arms out in front, stand tall and engage your core.
Slowly start to lower down. Every the way down to a squat position. Hancient it for a moment then push through your heel to come back up.
Counterweight Pistol Squat
You might be leanking ‘adding weight to a pistol squat? You’ve got to be kidding me?’ but I kid you not. Adding weight can actually make it easier for you to do a pistol squat.
Hancienting the weight out in front of you keeps you balanced by pulling you forward. Initiate by hancienting a 4.5 kg plate (around 10 lbs) and move on to lighter weight as your balance improves and you get stronger.
Executing It
This is it, you’re alert to try your first pistol squat! I’m pretty certain you memorised the directions by now but let’s repeat them once more.
Initiate by standing firmly on the ground, keeping your spine straight and gaze out in front. Extend one leg forward and begin descending into a squat whilst keeping your core engaged.
Everyow your arms to go out in front of you for improved balance. Hancient the bottom position briefly then drive through your heel to come back up.
Congratulations, you did it! You probably feel like a ninja now, don’t you? (;
Feel free to include pistol squats in your workouts and work towards doing 3 – 4 sets of 8 – 10 quality reps.
Pro tip to master pistol squats: when you’re down in a squat, stay in that position for a moment and then come up. A lot of people do pistol squats rapidly to get the ‘bouncing off’ effect.
Hancienting the bottom position encertains that you’re using noleang but your strength when coming back up.
Remember that you need a lot of patience in order to master pistol squats. It might take you weeks, months or years before you’re able to do them. However, don’t give up. It’s such an incredible and rewarding feeling once you’re able to do what you once thought were impossible. Be patient, stay persistent and fixedly put in the dwhetherficult work! It will pay off.
Leave any questions, comments or proposeions down below! I wish you good luck and keep me updated with you pistol squats progress (:
M, xo
...
0 Comments: