If you want increased flexibility, incredible hip flexor strength, and the best legs imaginable, there is a solution. It’s a very difficult exercise that even the most seasoned power lifter can fail completing. You don’t need a gym or weights and you can do this in your living room. Ready for it? Single leg squats or pistol squats. They’re hard, have to be done right or injury to the body is risked. Give them a try and check out all the amazing variations.
The pistol squat is one of the most valuable exercises an athlete can have in his little black book of tricks when training for strength, power, and increased muscle. Of course, that depends on whether or not the athlete can actually perform pistols. The truth is most can’t and won’t without a lot of work. After trying a few times and failing, most give up and never try again.
Balance & Strength
The pistol squat requires balance and strength. It is a unique exercise, easy for some and incredibly difficult for others. Going straight into performing a pistol without any prior one-legged training will probably leave you falling on your ass. This is where the exercise progressions come in. They ease you into the swing of things and get you squatting on one leg.
There are many athletes who are extremely powerful with weighted squats well over 500 pounds, but fail every single time they attempt pistol squats. Then there are those who have an unusual talent for making pistols look easy. Many gymnasts are able to pump out repetition after repetition of this exercise. Pistols strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and hips, but one of the most valuable benefits they provide is injury prevention. They significantly strengthen the knee structure over time. They can also even out strength imbalances because you perform them on just one leg.
When compared to barbell squats, single leg squats greatly reduce the stress placed on the lower back and spine making it a more ‘back friendly’ exercise option for those with back problems. No other body weight exercise builds lower body strength like pistols do, but they can take time to master, so I’ll show you the best exercises to use to build up to them. If you attempt them and fall down, don’t frown. Just get back up and start working on the progressions. Pistols are a very advanced exercise and it takes time to become proficient with them. However, the benefits and strength gains they produce are more than worth the work. Read More
