Advanced

Pistol Squat

The pistol squat is a benchmark of single-leg strength: you lower all the way down on one leg while holding the other straight out in front. It requires strong quads and glutes, deep ankle and hip mobility, and precise balance. Build it with box-assisted or counterbalanced regressions before chasing the full unsupported version.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand on one leg and extend the other leg straight out in front.

  2. 2

    Reach the arms forward as a counterbalance.

  3. 3

    Bend the standing knee and sit the hips back and down under control.

  4. 4

    Descend as low as your mobility allows, keeping the heel planted.

  5. 5

    Keep the extended leg off the floor throughout.

  6. 6

    Drive through the standing heel to stand tall, then switch legs.

Tips

  • Keep the full foot grounded; a lifting heel signals limited ankle mobility.
  • Hold a light plate or counterweight forward to stay balanced while learning.
  • Track the knee over the middle toes and stop above any point where it caves inward.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The descent turns into a drop once the thigh passes parallel, so the bottom gets caught by the knee and the low back rather than by the quad.
  • The torso rounds forward until the chest lies on the thigh, which balances the rep but takes the quad off the hook at the deepest point.
  • The extended leg sags toward the floor as the set goes on, removing the counterbalance at exactly the moment you need it most.
  • Both hands push off the standing thigh to get out of the hole, which is assistance you would not accept from a training partner.
  • Reps keep getting attempted on the weaker leg after the pattern has fallen apart, when ending the set at the last clean rep is what actually builds the leg.

Frequently asked

How many pistol squats should I do in a session, and what should I own first?
Own a deep bodyweight squat with both heels flat and around eight clean box pistols per leg before you chase the free version. Then keep it low and fresh: three to five sets of three to five reps per leg, early in the session, stopping the moment depth or knee tracking changes. Alternate legs each set so the weaker one is not always second.
How do I make the pistol squat easier or harder?
Easier options are the box pistol, where you sit to a surface you can control, the counterbalance version with a light plate reaching forward, or holding a doorframe for a little help on the way up. To make it harder, pause for three seconds at the bottom, slow the lowering to a five count, or hold a dumbbell at the chest.
What is the pistol squat good for, and when is it a poor choice?
It is a benchmark of single-leg strength, ankle and hip mobility, and balance all at once, which makes it a genuine goal for calisthenics training and for anyone without access to weights. It is a poor choice if deep knee flexion is painful, since the bottom position is about as much bend as the joint will ever see, and a poor choice for building leg size, where split squats you can load are far easier to progress.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Glutes exercises