Single Leg Squats - Pistols

Today I am going to talk about my new favourite exercise – Single Leg Squats. This exercise is also known as The Pistol! Now, I will say right off the bat that these are an incredibly difficult exercise to perfect, but are also very beneficial for leg power. Ok, single leg squatting is one of the most demanding exercises out there, but also one of the most beneficial.

How to do Single Leg Squats

To do the exercise, we begin by standing on one leg, with the other out in front of us. We keep our hands/arms to the side. We then bend at the standing knee, lowering our body as low as possible. When we are at the bottom, the foot is flat and our hamstrings will be resting on our calf. We then push back up to the original position, and this completes one rep. Easy?

Benefits of Single Leg Squats

There are a good number of benefits to the pistol and here are some:

Strength – the main benefit (in my mind) to single leg squats is the strength that we can gain from doing them. The muscles that will benefit are; glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and core.

Balance – another major benefit from doing single leg squats is the improved balance that can be developed. Our balance is challenged immensely while completing this exercise.

Co-ordination – linking in with balance, slightly, is the benefit that our co-ordination can be improved through completing the exercise. As we have to focus our body to multiple different actions our co-ordination is challenged and therefore can grow and improve.

Flexibility – through the exercise we can become more flexible in the legs and glutes.

This exercise is a fantastic exercise to include in our workout. As we progress we can add weights to make it more challenging and continue progress. Our legs become so powerful through these exercises, but we also receive many other benefits.