One Leg Squat Pistol

Used In Mixed Martial Arts And Military Conditioning - One Leg Squat Pistols

Here is a fun one. You can start doing one leg squats or pistols on a regular bench or chair. Once you get used to those, you progressivly keep dropping the height of the bottom marker.

Larry and I started off on the regular bench untill we could get 5 sets of 5 reps. This is a pretty standard workout set and rep pattern for getting stronger for a lot of movements.

Once the one leg squats or "pistols" were strong here we went to a smaller wooden box as the bottom marker. Then we would do two or three sets there and if we hit failure, go back to the higher bench for our squats.

Eventually after a month or two we found ourselves getting a set or two of one leg squat pistols right down to the floor. So right now we do a couple of higher sets to warm up and then right into the "floor is bottom" sets and then back higher as our strength fades.

Make sure you keep tension all the way through the squat. If you drop into the pistol in the higher versions, you'll fall or your *ss when you do your first set to the floor. You also want to keep your hands forward and your leg out as a "counter balance" so you dont fall out or back.

If you are really having trouble pulling of the one leg squat pistols even in the highest version, then dig the heel of the extended leg into the ground to give you a little boost. You can also hold onto your training partners hand if your a girly man.

If any of that was confusing, check out the video of my version of the intermediate one leg squat pistol exericise..