Exercise Guide

Assisted Pistol Squat

A pistol squat holding a rack or strap for balance. Lets you train the full single-leg range long before you can balance it unaided.

IntermediateStrengthPushCompound
Form
Assisted Pistol Squat - Start position
Start
Assisted Pistol Squat - Mid position
Mid
Assisted Pistol Squat - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Quads

Equipment

Bodyweight

Difficulty

Intermediate

Category

Strength

Force

Push

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

GlutesHamstringsCore
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Hold a rack upright, door frame or suspension strap in front of you.

  2. 2

    Stand on one leg with the other extended forward.

  3. 3

    Lower all the way down, using the support only as much as you need.

  4. 4

    Push back up through the standing foot, keeping the free leg off the floor.

Tips
  • ★Use the support for balance, not to pull yourself up - a fingertip grip is the goal.
  • ★Wean off it gradually: two hands, then one, then one finger.
Explore by Muscle
QuadsGlutesHamstringsCore