Are you Bored of traditional squats? Challenge yourself with pistol squats. We guarantee this exercise is worth your time. It burns the muscles in the leg much more effectively than a traditional squat, or we would say the hardest of all the squats.
Pistol squats have some prerequisites. It demands stability, mobility, and strength in your legs. Overall you will need strong legs.
Here is a complete guide for pistol squats.
Who should perform pistol squats?
If your focus is to have toned and strong legs for almost any sport you do, the pistol squat is your thing.
Benefits of pistol Squats
Pistol squats are useful for building both lower body and core strength. This exercise helps you to focus on glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip adductors, calves, and core muscles. This exercise also helps you improve the unilateral strength and balance of your legs as this is a squat where you squat with all the weight on one leg.
Point to remember
Always remember that a pistol squat tougher than a traditional squat or any squat you name. If you have weak leg muscles, we recommend you avoid jumping directly into the exercise. Instead, try other squats or include leg exercise in your day until you are sure that your legs are ready for the exercise.
This exercise includes a lot of strain on the muscles, so never forget a leg warm-up before exercising.
How to do a pistol squat?
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Extend both of your arms straight out in front of you.
- While looking straight at a point, start bending your hips back. When you go down, bend one knee keeping your heel grounded to the floor.
- Let the other leg reach straight in front of you.
- Get as low into the squat as possible for you.
- Hold for 2 seconds.
- While exhaling, slowly, come back to the initial position.
- Repeat on the other side.
We recommend 3-4 reps on each leg. As a beginner, take a rest for 10-15 seconds between each rep.
How to avoid injuries?
It’s utmost and highly recommended to avoid the below-mentioned mistakes that people often make.
- Performing the exercise without enough ankle strength.
- missing on warm-ups
- stopping before the hips are at least in line with knees
- forcing the muscles that prevent legs from squatting
The Takeaway
Pistol Squats can be hard to perform, but they are much more effective than other types of squat exercises. If you are finding it hard, practice is the key. Progress with different types of squats.
Remember to avoid the common mistakes that people make to prevent injuries and improve the effectiveness of the exercise.
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