Muscles worked
The pistol squat is a full-depth squat on one leg. The quads and glutes of your standing leg do the main work, with help from the inner thigh. Balancing on one foot keeps the muscles on the outside of your hip and around your ankle busy throughout. The free leg stays up in front of you, giving the hip flexors and quads on that side a static job. The exercise also demands good ankle and hip mobility, and for many people mobility and balance, not strength, set the limit.
Common mistakes
- Trying full depth straight away. If you cannot stand up from the bottom, each rep becomes a fall and a struggle. Build depth by sitting back to a box or bench, and lower it over time.
- Collapsing and bouncing. The last part of the descent tends to speed up into a bounce. Lower yourself with control and stay still for a moment at the bottom before rising.
- The free leg hits the floor at the bottom. Stand on a stable box or step so the free leg can drop below the edge.
Variations and alternatives
- The assisted pistol squat lets you hold a support and is the step before the free version.
- The bodyweight Bulgarian split squat trains one leg at a time with the back foot as support, needing less balance and mobility.
- The chair step-up builds single-leg strength with just a sturdy chair, for when full pistol depth is too much.
Sets and reps
The pistol squat is hard, so low reps are normal: 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps per leg goes a long way. Rest fully between sets, as technique falls apart on a tired leg. There is more on low reps and long rests in the guide to sets and reps.
Many people find a light dumbbell or plate held straight out makes balancing easier, as it counterbalances your hips moving back. Once the movement is solid, add reps, slow the descent or hold a heavier weight. Take one step at a time so progressive overload is easy to follow in your log. If your knee hurts, rather than just working hard, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.