How To Do Pistol Squats: Single

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It's the ultimate strength and mobility challenge.

A basic bodyweight squat may seem like nothing to sweat over. The movement is relatively simple to pick up since you perform it in your everyday life, whether you’re tying your shoelaces or picking up your dog's toys. But once you try to do the exercise with one leg lifted off the floor—a pistol squat—the fear factor and degree of challenge explodes.

"A pistol squat requires a lot more strength, stability, flexibility, and, most of all, mobility to perform safely and correctly," says Bianca Vesco, CPT, a NASM-certified personal trainer and fitness instructor in Nashville. "After all, you are using one leg to move your entire body weight as opposed to two."

Meet the expert: Bianca Vesco, CPT, is a NASM-certified personal trainer and fitness instructor based in Nashville.

The benefits of the pistol squat make it well worth the effort. The pistol squat works practically every major muscle group in your lower half, including the glutes, hamstrings, calves, quads, abductors, and adductors. Plus, it can help you build the strength, balance, and mobility necessary to move optimally in your daily life and keep injuries at bay.

If those perks motivated you to try your leg at the pistol squat, keep reading for a step-by-step breakdown of how to do the movement with perfect technique and expert-approved pointers that will help you work your way up to the all-star exercise.

The pistol squat is incredibly tricky, and a lot can go wrong with your technique, which can lead to muscle and joint strain, says Vesco. As you attempt to do your first pistol squat—or perfect the reps you’re already doing—avoid making these common missteps.

Pistol Squat Benefits

Achieving a pistol squat is no easy feat. Once you add it into your workout routine, you’ll see improvements in your balance, mobility, and unilateral strength.

While there's no shame in shooting for the stars and attempting pistol squats, don't expect to nail the challenging move on your very first try. In order to perform your reps properly, you’ll first need to establish strength in your legs, improve balance, and increase mobility in your ankles, knees, and hips so your joints are ready to support you through the move, says Vesco. "My biggest advice is to make a plan and be patient," she adds.

Here's how Vesco recommends working up to a pistol squat. Practice a few (or all) of these supporting exercises and modified variations in each of your lower-body workouts. Trust, they’ll ultimately help you perform the real deal.

Boost your ankle mobility. The ankle on your squatting leg needs to be mobile enough that your entire foot can stay flat on the floor in your deep squat, says Vesco. "Generally speaking, tight ankles can be a result of tight feet and calves, which can be easily mobilized through soft tissue work such as foam rolling or myofascial release," she notes.

How to:

Improve hip mobility. Just like ankle mobility, good hip mobility is a must for the pistol squat. "Ideally, you should be able to pull your knee into your ribcage [while] standing comfortably, but there are workarounds," says Vesco. Any hip mobility drill, such as the world's greatest stretch, standing hip controlled articular rotations, cossack squats, or controlled table-top hip circles, will do the trick, she adds.

How to:

Strengthen lower body. Being able to squat with both feet on the ground comfortably and with strength is a necessity if you want to build up to the pistol squat, says Vesco. The exercise helps to strengthen all of the lower-body muscles that are called upon during the single-leg exercise.

How to:

Boost balance. The single-leg deadlift not only helps you create essential lower-body strength, but it also gives you the chance to improve your balance before trying a pistol squat.

How to:

Use support. When you feel strong enough to give a modified pistol squat a shot, try performing this movement with a bench (or other elevated surface) behind your butt. "Using a bench or block to sit on [will] limit the range of motion and give you a stopping point," says Vesco. "Just make sure you’re lowering down with control." As you become stronger and improve your balance, lower the bench (or use a shorter chair) to continue progressing toward the full pistol squat, she suggests.

How to:

Pro tip: Progress through these exercises according to your current strengths and limitations. If you’re already squatting loaded barbells, you likely won't need to practice the basic squat, but you might need to work on your single-leg balance with a unilateral deadlift or up your mobility, for instance.

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