A personal trainer shares how she finally mastered the challenging lower-body move.
But one exercise continued to evade me: the pistol squat.
What Is a Pistol Squat and Why Are They So Difficult?
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Pistol squatsare unilateral exercises, which means they work one leg at a time.
Your non-working leg should be roughly parallel to the ground the entire time.
Done correctly, all squats should use your glutes.
With a pistol squat, youmustuse your glutes properly (aka learn to activate them) for best results.
With the help of Albrecht, I came up with a plan to finally master the pistol squat.
Three times a week, I’d warm up with some glute activation and thoracic spine (i.e.
upper back), hip, and ankle mobility exercises.
There are other ways to modify the pistol squat as you work toward performing one at bodyweight.
Over the course of the month, the box got lower and lower until it disappeared.
Well, I did it on one side.
The work is never over.
you could do it on its own or after your workout.
(You might only be lowering your butt eight inches, and that’s okay!)
If you feel ready after doing the workout a few times, squat onto a lower platform.
Isometric Hold:Finish each workout with three 30 secondisometric pistol squat holdson each leg.
