Intermediate

Assisted Shrimp Squat

The shrimp squat holds the rear foot behind you while you squat on the front leg, demanding huge quad strength, balance, and knee control. Holding a pole, rings, or TRX for light support lets you groove the descent and touch the trailing knee down cleanly before going hands-free. Use as little assistance as possible.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand on one leg and bend the other knee, reaching back to hold that foot with the same-side hand.

  2. 2

    Rest the free hand lightly on a pole, doorframe, or suspension strap for balance.

  3. 3

    Sit down and back on the working leg, letting the trailing knee lower toward the floor.

  4. 4

    Lightly touch the rear knee down without crashing, keeping the torso as upright as you can.

  5. 5

    Drive up through the front foot to stand, using the support only as needed.

Tips

  • Use the hand support for balance, not to hoist yourself up; the working leg does the lifting.
  • Keep the front heel down and the knee tracking over the toes throughout.
  • Control the descent so the rear knee kisses the floor rather than banging into it.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The support hand takes over a little more with every rep and there is no way to feel it happening; rest two fingertips on the pole instead of gripping it and the borrowed help becomes obvious.
  • The support sits out to one side and you lean into it, which shifts weight off the working leg exactly when it should be loaded; anchor it in front of you and reach forward.
  • The amount of assistance never changes from month to month, so the exercise never gets harder; take one finger off the support every week or two until only the fingertips are left.
  • A dining chair or a swinging door makes a poor anchor because both move under load; use a doorframe, a rack upright, or a strap hung from something fixed.
  • The rear foot slips out of your hand near the bottom and the toes catch the floor, quietly turning the hardest part into a two-legged lift; grip the ankle rather than the laces.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the assisted shrimp squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of 6 to 8 reps per leg, twice a week, with the lightest hand support that lets you keep the pattern. Progress by taking help away rather than by adding reps: full grip, then three fingers, then two fingertips, then a hand hovering an inch off the pole. Once three sets of 8 feel steady on fingertips alone, test a single unassisted rep at the start of a session.
How do I make the assisted shrimp squat easier or harder?
For an easier version, put a cushion or a couple of books where the knee lands so you stop higher, use both hands on the support, or step back to a rear-foot-elevated split squat until the strength is there. To make it harder, reduce the grip to fingertips and then to a hover, take three seconds to lower, pause with the knee touching, or stand on a low step so the knee has further to travel.
What is the assisted shrimp squat for, and who should use it?
It is the on-ramp to the unassisted shrimp squat and suits anyone whose leg is strong enough but whose balance is not there yet, as well as people rebuilding single-leg control after time off. It stops being useful once you can do five clean reps a side without help, at which point you are just doing an easier version. If the support is doing most of the lifting, a split squat with both feet down is a better use of the set.

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