Fundamentals
Pistol Squat
Squat down on one leg while the other stays straight out in front, then stand up again without touching down. The pistol squat is the one-leg version of the squat and a test of strength, balance and ankle movement.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- editorial estimate
- Steps to it
- 4 steps
- Intermediate → Advanced
- Usually done on
- Floor
Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 5 sources
The road at a glance
A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.
Helps to have first
This skill
Pistol Squat
Leads towards
No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.
01
What it is
In a pistol squat you stand on one foot and hold the other leg straight out in front of you, off the floor. You lower by bending the hip and knee of the standing leg, with the whole foot on the floor and the trunk leaning forward, and you stand up again on the same leg.
Sources name the muscles at the back of the hip (the gluteus maximus), the quadriceps and the other muscles of the thigh as the main work. The free leg is not just carried: where you hold it changes which hip muscles work hardest, and a laboratory study of single-leg squats found more gluteal activity on the way down with the free leg in front than behind.
It asks for more than leg strength. You need enough ankle movement to bend the knee forward over a flat foot, hip movement and strength to hold the free leg up, and the balance to do it all on one foot. No source gives knee angles for the full pistol, so the picture shows one example, not a standard.
A pistol squat is as deep as you can go on one foot with the heel down and the knee under control. Dropping into the bottom is not the same movement.
History and origin
The origin of the pistol squat, and of its name, is not documented in the sources we read, so we do not name a first person or a year.
02
How it is done
- 1
Stand on one foot
Put the weight on one foot and lift the other leg straight out in front, with the toes pointing up. Reach the arms forward for balance.
- 2
Lean and lower
Send the hip back and bend the standing knee, leaning the trunk forward with the back straight. The weight stays over the heel and the whole foot stays on the floor.
- 3
Control the bottom
Go down slowly, as far as you can keep the heel down and the knee over the foot. Pause there rather than dropping into it.
- 4
Stand up
Press through the standing foot and squeeze the glute to come up. The free leg stays out in front; do not swing it.
- 5
Switch sides
Do the other leg too. One side is often stronger or more mobile than the other.
03
Progressions
These are common steps, not the only road. Coaches use different orders, and what suits you depends on your legs, your ankles and your balance. Move on when a step feels controlled, not when you hit a number.
What to have first
A bodyweight squat you control
Squat to a comfortable depth with the heels down and the knees in line with the toes before you try it on one leg.
Ankle movement
A review of single-leg squats links less ankle movement to the knee drifting inwards. If your heel lifts as you go down, that depth is more than your ankle gives you for now.
Healthy knees and hips
There is no number to reach first. If a single-leg squat hurts your knee, hip or back, or you have a diagnosed problem there, ask a qualified person before you work on it.
- 1
Step 1·Intermediate
Single-leg squat holding a support
Hold a rail, a doorframe or a sturdy post with one hand or both, stand on one foot with the other leg forward, and squat as far as you can control. The support takes the balance away so you can learn the movement of the hip, knee and ankle.
Technical note: Use the hands for balance, not to pull yourself up.
- 2
Step 2·Intermediate
Single-leg box squat
Stand on one foot in front of a box or bench about knee height, with the free leg straight out in front and the toes up. Lower slowly until you sit lightly on the box, then stand up. The university exercise sheet teaches this version as the step before the full pistol.
Technical note: Sit back lightly and stand: do not drop onto the box.
- 3
Step 3·Advanced
Slow lowering
From standing on one foot, lower yourself as slowly as you can control towards the bottom, then step out of it or use both feet to stand up. One coaching article uses slow lowering as a step before the full movement. If you cannot control the way down, stop just above that point and build the depth gradually.
Technical note: The control on the way down matters more than how low you get.
- 4
Step 4·AdvancedGoal
Pistol squat
Standing on one foot, free leg straight out in front, down to a depth you control with the heel flat (the picture shows the bottom with the thigh below level), then up on the same leg without touching down.
Technical note: The heel stays down and the knee follows the toes at every depth you use.
04
Community
No one is publicly working on this movement. Add it to your profile and be the first.
Tips from the community
Tips are personal experience, not medical advice or a training plan.
There are no tips for this movement yet.
05
Common mistakes
Knee falling inwards
A knee that drifts towards the other leg, or out, breaks the line with the toes. A review of single-leg squats lists it as a pattern linked to a higher risk of leg injuries and discusses ankle movement and hip strength as factors.
Heel lifting
The heel coming off the floor means the ankle does not bend far enough for that depth. Stop higher, or use a support or a box.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling the last part of the descent turns control into momentum and makes the way up harder. Lower slowly and pause.
Losing the trunk
Letting the back round or the core go slack makes the whole body unstable on one foot. Keep the spine straight and the trunk tight.
Swinging up
Throwing the free leg or the arms to get out of the bottom hides how much strength you have. Come up in a controlled way.
Only training the easy side
The two legs are rarely equal. Work both and start with the weaker one.
06
Variations and related skills
Shrimp squat
A one-leg squat with the free foot held behind, so the knee goes down towards the floor. A common step towards the pistol.
Rolling pistol
Sitting down and rocking back over the shoulders, then rolling up onto one foot. Used to practise the bottom position; the rocking can become a habit.
Pistol to a box
Range
The same movement with a seat under you, to control depth and to rest between repetitions.
Heel raised
Stance
A small lift under the heel is sometimes used when the ankle is stiff. We found no source that tests it for the pistol.
Weighted pistol
Load
Holding a weight in front of the chest. Add load only when the bodyweight pistol is controlled.
The two-foot squat that the pistol is built on.
On Calisthenics Balkan
- Read about Fundamentals in LearnThe movement family this skill belongs to, and how it fits into calisthenics.
- Athletes with Pistol Squat on their profileSkill labels on profiles are set by the athletes themselves and are not verified.
- All movements in the AtlasCalisthenics movements, one at a time: what they are, how they are done and the steps that lead to them.
07
Sources
What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.
The small numbers in the text point to the entries below.
- 1Pistol Squat | Exercise LibraryAmerican Council on Exercise (ACE); a short exercise card (done on a BOSU dome), rated advanced, no warnings given
- 2Pistol Squat (single-leg box squat)University of Sussex sport, exercise sheet; describes the box version, with teaching points and a list of errors
- 3Muscle Activation During Single-Legged Squat Is Affected by Position of the Nonstance LimbKhuu, Loverro and Lewis, J Athl Train 2022; 17 healthy adults, single-leg squat in general, not the full pistol (abstract read)
- 4Dynamic Knee Valgus in Single-Leg Movement Tasks: Potentially Modifiable Factors and Exercise Training OptionsWilczyński, Zorena and Ślęzak, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; a literature review of healthy active people (abstract read)
- 5The Pistol Squat: Develop Foundational Lower Body StrengthBreaking Muscle, Chris Lofland; a coaching article, the source of the order of the progression steps
A note on safety. This page describes the movement in general. It is not a training plan and not medical advice. We found no study of the full pistol squat itself: the research we read is about single-leg squats in general, and none of it measures the load on the knee in a pistol. Build up gradually, stop when the knee falls in or the heel lifts, and ask a qualified coach, doctor or physiotherapist about pain in the knee, hip or back.
Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach.
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