Free Weight Pistol Squat

HOW TO DO IT

1. 1Stand on one foot with the other leg extended forward, foot off the floor.
2. 2Keep your hands free at chest height, elbows tucked.
3. 3Brace your core and fix your gaze on a point straight ahead.
4. 4Push your hips back and bend the standing knee, lowering under control while keeping the free leg off the ground.
5. 5Descend until the working thigh is at least parallel to the floor, or as low as your mobility allows.
6. 6Pause briefly at the bottom without resting the extended leg.
7. 7Drive through the whole foot to stand back up, keeping your hands close to your chest.
8. 8Complete all reps on one side, then switch legs.

COMMON MISTAKES

• Letting the extended leg touch the floor for support.
• Allowing the standing knee to cave inward during the descent.
• Rising onto the toes instead of driving through the full foot.
• Rounding the spine while lowering into the squat.
• Dropping too fast and losing balance, forcing a step or a fall.

TIPS

• Keep your core braced tightly to prevent the lower back from rounding.
• Focus your gaze on a fixed point ahead to maintain balance.
• Ensure the knee of the working leg tracks in line with your toes.
• Keep your free hands close to your chest; reaching them out in front makes the bottom position harder to control.
• Sit the hips back rather than dropping straight down, so the knee stays behind the toes.
• Keep the extended leg as straight and as high as you can without losing balance.
• Use a slow, controlled descent; the eccentric is where most of the balance work happens.
• If depth is limited, elevate the heel slightly on a small plate rather than forcing the ankle.

SAFETY

• Do not lock the knees abruptly at the top of the movement.
• Train near a wall or rack you can touch for support, and keep the area clear.

DETAILS

Muscles

Quadriceps

Type

Strength Training

Difficulty

Advanced

Tracked as

Reps only