How many reps of the single-leg sit-to-stand should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Do 2 sets of 5 to 6 stands per leg from a box high enough that you can complete every rep without the free leg touching down. Progress by lowering the box an inch or two at a time once a set feels fully controlled, rather than adding reps at a box that is already too low.

How do you make the single-leg sit-to-stand easier or harder?

Make it easier by using a higher box or bench, or by letting your fingertips rest on a wall or rail for light balance support. Make it harder by lowering the box, slowing the lowering phase to a three-second count, or holding a light dumbbell at your chest once the bodyweight version is smooth.

What is the single-leg sit-to-stand good for, and when is it not the right fit?

It trains the quad and glute to produce and absorb force through the knee on one leg without the balance demand of a full pistol squat, making it useful early-stage knee prehab and a bridge to harder single-leg work. It is not the right starting point if your knee is currently painful going down stairs, since standing all the way up from a low seat loads that same range; start with a much higher box or address the pain first.

Intermediate

Single-Leg Sit-to-Stand

Standing up from a seat on one leg is a scalable single-leg strength builder you can dial in by simply changing the box height. It trains the quad and glute to produce and absorb force through the knee without the balance demand of a full pistol, making it ideal early-stage knee prehab and a bridge toward harder single-leg work. Start from a high box you can just manage and lower the seat as you get stronger.

Equipment: Body Weight, Box, Dumbbell
Body part: Glutes, Quads
Type: Balance, Strength
Browse by muscle: Vastus Lateralis, Rectus Femoris
Browse by movement: Squat

How to do it

1
Sit tall on a box or bench with one foot planted flat and the other lifted.
2
Extend the free leg slightly in front and reach your arms forward for counterbalance.
3
Drive through the planted foot to stand up on that single leg.
4
Stand fully without slamming the knee into a hard lockout.
5
Reverse the motion, lowering slowly back to the seat on the same leg.
6
Tap the box lightly and repeat for reps, then switch legs.

Tips

Keep the working knee tracking over the foot, never letting it cave inward.
Control the descent, do not just drop onto the box.
Use a higher box to make it easier and a lower one to make it harder.
Hold a light dumbbell at the chest to add load once bodyweight is smooth.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips lead the stand by shooting backward and up before the knee starts extending, turning the drive into a hip-hinge stand instead of a knee-and-hip stand together.
The free leg quietly taps the floor for a split second at the bottom, turning what should be a single-leg lift into a two-leg assist.
The torso pitches forward past the knee to build momentum for the stand, instead of staying tall and letting the leg do the work.
Landing back on the box off-center shifts weight onto the outer or inner edge of the foot instead of dropping straight down through the middle of it.
Choosing a box so low that the last few inches of the stand require a lunge for it, rather than a true single-leg stand, defeats the purpose of scaling the height.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the single-leg sit-to-stand should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Do 2 sets of 5 to 6 stands per leg from a box high enough that you can complete every rep without the free leg touching down. Progress by lowering the box an inch or two at a time once a set feels fully controlled, rather than adding reps at a box that is already too low.
How do you make the single-leg sit-to-stand easier or harder?: Make it easier by using a higher box or bench, or by letting your fingertips rest on a wall or rail for light balance support. Make it harder by lowering the box, slowing the lowering phase to a three-second count, or holding a light dumbbell at your chest once the bodyweight version is smooth.
What is the single-leg sit-to-stand good for, and when is it not the right fit?: It trains the quad and glute to produce and absorb force through the knee on one leg without the balance demand of a full pistol squat, making it useful early-stage knee prehab and a bridge to harder single-leg work. It is not the right starting point if your knee is currently painful going down stairs, since standing all the way up from a low seat loads that same range; start with a much higher box or address the pain first.

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