Intermediate

Assisted Pistol Squat

The assisted pistol lets you train the full single-leg squat pattern before you own the strength and balance to do it unaided. By holding a sturdy upright with one or both hands, you offload just enough weight to control the descent and drive out of the hole, grooving the deep range the pistol demands. It is the go-to progression for building toward a free-standing pistol squat once split squats feel easy.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Glutes, Quads
Type
Balance, Strength
Browse by movement
Squat
Muscles worked
Target
Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Secondary
Gluteus Maximus, Adductor Magnus
Tertiary
Gluteus Medius, Biceps Femoris, Erector Spinae, Tibialis Anterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand next to a sturdy doorframe, pole, or squat rack and grip it at chest height.

  2. 2

    Balance on one leg and extend the other leg straight out in front of you.

  3. 3

    Sit back and down on the standing leg, using the support only as much as needed.

  4. 4

    Descend until the hamstring nearly meets the calf while keeping the free leg off the floor.

  5. 5

    Pull lightly on the support and drive through the standing heel to stand.

  6. 6

    Finish your reps on one leg, then switch, reducing the assistance as you gain strength.

Tips

  • Use the hands for balance and a small strength boost, not to yank yourself up like a row.
  • Keep the standing heel glued to the floor; letting it lift shifts strain onto the knee.
  • Wean off the support gradually, using one finger or a lighter grip as you progress.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The supporting hand ends up in front of the body, so you hang backward off the upright instead of standing over your own foot.
  • Nothing changes between sessions, same grip and same depth, so there is no record of whether the leg is getting stronger; note how many fingers were on the support and how deep you went.
  • A towel rail, a wobbly chair, or a door gets used as the anchor, when it needs to be something bolted down or built in before you put weight on it.
  • The standing foot sits too far from the support, which drags the body sideways and turns the descent into a diagonal rather than a straight sit.
  • The lowering gets rushed because the hands are there to catch it, and the slow descent, which is what builds the pistol, passes in half a second.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the assisted pistol squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of five to six reps per leg, lowering for three seconds on each. Progress by reducing the help rather than adding reps: two hands, then one hand, then three fingers, then one finger, at the same rep count. When one finger on the support gets you through five clean reps, try a free-standing pistol down to a box.
What can I hold onto for assisted pistol squats if I do not have a squat rack?
A doorframe works well with a hand on each side at chest height, and so do a solid stair banister, a fixed pole, or a heavy table edge that cannot slide. A suspension trainer or a band anchored above head height is another good option because it lets you dial the help precisely. Skip anything that can tip, roll, or swing, and if nothing in the room is genuinely fixed, do box pistols instead and let the box control the depth.
What is the assisted pistol squat for, and when should I choose something else?
It lets you train the full single-leg squat range before you have the strength or balance to do it unaided, which is the fastest honest route from split squats to a real pistol. It stops being useful once you can pistol without help, at which point it only adds easy reps. If your knee dislikes the deepest inches, do a box pistol at a height above that point rather than using the hands to grind through it.

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