Squats on one leg: how to learn to squat with a pistol

The one-legged squat is an effective leg muscle development exercise that also strengthens your abs, develops a sense of balance, and improves agility and strength. Surely you remember these squats from school - all the boys have been taking pistol standards since about 8th grade. But for adults, it is much more difficult to master the exercise - both the body weight is greater, and the muscles are not so prepared.

However, this exercise is considered extremely productive, so many athletes are interested in how to learn how to squat on one leg with a pistol at home or in the gym, using auxiliary equipment.

What is the exercise

Its name speaks for itself - it is a squat on one limb, while the other is held in front of you. It can be done anywhere, or even outdoors. It remarkably develops the quadriceps muscle of the thigh, as well as the gluteus maximus. Due to the shift in the center of gravity in the process, it trains a sense of coordination and balance. If you squat without any extra weight, you are putting almost no stress on your spine. By the way, in order to keep the non-working leg on weight, you will need a strong press, which means that you simultaneously work out the cherished cubes on your stomach with your hips.

You want to know how to squat on one leg with a pistol, if so, read on.

Execution technique

To get started, check out our tips to help you get up to speed quickly:

• Do a good warm-up, thoroughly warm up your muscles, ligaments and joints. To prepare for this particular exercise, do classic squats, running in place, jumping;
• Squats are performed smoothly, without jerking and acceleration on the descent or ascent;
• If at first you cannot maintain balance, stand at the support. But remember, it only helps maintain balance, not leverage or a tool to make the task easier. If you are still tempted to lean on a handrail or wall while lifting, try one-legged squats with a back support;
• You will need to constantly monitor the free limb so that it does not touch the floor. To make this part of the exercise easier, try squatting from an elevated position, such as a gymnastic bench.

1. Stand straight, transfer your body weight to your working leg, lift the second off the floor, slightly bending it at the knee;
2. Tighten your abs, extend your arms forward and be sure to catch balance;
3. Tilt the pelvis back slightly, and the upper body, on the contrary, forward, and, while inhaling, begin to slowly lower;
4. Gradually straighten the free leg, at the lowest point it should stand in a position parallel to the floor, without touching it;
5. As you exhale, begin to rise, pressing the heel as much as possible - slowly straighten your knee, pushing the body up;
6. Do the required number of repetitions and change legs.

Frequent execution errors

The technique of performing squats on one leg is not difficult, but still, many athletes often make gross mistakes. Meanwhile, it is fraught with serious injuries or sprains. What are the most common mistakes?

• Throughout all stages, you must not lift the heel off the floor - this can lead to a loss of balance and stimulates a large load on the ankle;
• At the top point, the knee of the working support is not fully straightened;
• The knee should always point in the same direction as the toe. Do not tilt it to the right and left, so as not to increase the load on the joints.
• The back must be kept straight, without bending, especially if you squat with a weight.

What muscles work?

Let's find out which muscles work when squatting on one leg with a pistol - identifying both the main and secondary muscles.

The target musculature is the gluteus maximus and quadriceps femoris. They are the ones who experience the most intense stress. In parallel, the press, the extensor of the spine, the posterior thigh muscle, and the calf muscles work.

Thus, the butt and hips get the strongest effect of 1-leg squats. Do you want to have a pumped-up butt and muscular legs? Then learn to squat on one leg!

What exercises will help you learn to squat correctly?

• A distant "relative" of the pistol squat is the Bulgarian lunges - they are also performed with one non-working leg. The latter is retracted and placed with a toe on a hill. Exercise helps to learn how to maintain balance, strengthens the muscles of the legs;
• Be sure to master the correct technique of classic squats - in this case, you will intuitively breathe correctly, keep your back straight, strengthen your muscles;
• Train your abs - otherwise, many repetitions in one approach are unlikely to be completed.

Execution options

And now, let's find out how to correctly do the squatting - "pistol" on one leg in different ways.

1. The classic option is squats without support with outstretched arms in front of you;
2. Supported on the side or back - helps to maintain balance;
3. You can exercise in the Smith machine by sticking to the bar. At home, a regular chair with a back is suitable;
4. When the technique has been mastered to perfection and its own weight for a suitable load becomes small - take dumbbells;
5. The most difficult option is the one-legged squat with a barbell. Squats on one leg with weight involve a considerable load on the spine, therefore, in this case, you should take into account that the list of contraindications is greatly increased;

Only athletes with a good level of training should squat with a barbell or dumbbells - they must master coordination perfectly, and are able to withstand the load.

Benefits, harms and contraindications

And now we will consider the benefits or harm of squats on one leg with a pistol, and also list the list of contraindications.

Disadvantage they only have one - they are too complex for a beginner to easily complete. And here pluses much more:

• No gym required for exercise;
• It perfectly pumps the butt and hips without loading the back (if without weight);
• Trains a sense of balance;
• Helps to diversify repetitive strength training.

Contraindications:

1. It is forbidden to perform squats on one leg for people with any problems with knee joints. So be more attentive and listen to your body at the first sign of knee pain after running;
2. If the load on the back is contraindicated for you, it is not recommended to squat with a weight;
3. You can not engage in exacerbations of chronic diseases, at a temperature, after abdominal surgery;
4. You should not perform such squats for people with a lot of weight;
5. In the presence of chronic diseases, we recommend that you first consult with your doctor to make sure that you are not prohibited from exercising.

Well, we found out the pros and cons of single-legged squats, we know how to do them correctly and what exercise options exist. So who is it for?

Who is the exercise for?

• Girls who seek to improve the shape and shape of the figure, lose weight in the buttocks and hips (in the case of squats without a dumbbell or barbell);
• Athletes whose goal is to build muscle mass (in the case of squats with dumbbells or any other weight);
• Athletes who do not have the opportunity to squat with a lot of weight, for health reasons, but want a beautiful relief.

If you want to know what one-legged squats do in 1 minute a day, just try to exercise every day for a month. The result will definitely surprise you! An example squat program for beginners is as follows:

• First, do 5 reps for each leg;
• Gradually raise the bar up to 15 times;
• Increase the number of approaches;
• A good indicator is 3 sets of 15 times;

So, we have sorted out the pistol squat technique, now you know all the theoretical subtleties and nuances. It's time to start practicing - remember, they always start to act carefully, listen to their own feelings and stop when any painful sensations arise. I wish you sports success and personal victories!

Watch the video: How to Get Your First PISTOL SQUAT Step-by-Step Progression (November 2024).