Pistol squat progression

My preferred

Pistol Squat Tutorial - Single-Leg Strength & Balance (a)

1. Deep Squat
   • Start by making sure you can get into a deep squat, bringing your butt close to your heels while keeping a straight back.
   • Work on that until you are ready to move on to the next step.
2. Roll Back
   • Grab your ankles in the squat position and roll back, letting your butt come off the ground a bit.
3. Roll Back Up Into the Squat
   • Holding on to your ankles, roll your body back up into a deep squat position.
   • Work on this progression until you feel comfortable enough to move on.
4. Extend One Leg
   • Roll your body up into a squat position, but this time, keep one leg straight, and pop up very slightly with your bent leg.
5. Pop Up to Standing
   • Work on popping up a little higher each time you roll up, until you can pop all the way up into a standing position.
6. Reverse Direction
   • Next, you’ll go in the opposite direction: Stand up and squat back, keeping one leg straight, then roll back into a supine position.
7. Do a Full Pistol Squat
   • Work on the previous progression until you can squat down with control, and stand back up with control.

Alternatives

The single leg variations for the pistol squats itself aren’t too hard to start now. Follow this progression from my video: (a)

• Chair Pistol Squats
• Box Pistol Squats
• Lower Box Pistol Squats
• Pistol Squats with a Counterweight (arms straight out in front of you, optional but helpful for many)
• Pistol Squats

(Kizirian 2023)

Bibliography

Backlinks

• Exercise program