$ ./lab --skill pistol-squat
Squat to Pistol
Weighted pistols at 1.2× bodyweight are in. Single-leg strength keeps running and jumping honest.
Legs5/11 steps achievedlevel 5 of 11Overcoming Gravity p. 569
The ladder
- L1Parallel Squatachieved 2025
- L2Full Squatachieved 2025
- L3Side to Side Squatachieved 2025
- L4Pistolachieved 2025
- L51.2× bodyweight Pistolachieved 2025
- L61.35× bodyweight Pistolto do
- L71.5× bodyweight Pistolfuture
- L81.65× bodyweight Pistolfuture
- L91.8× bodyweight Pistolfuture
- L101.9× bodyweight Pistolfuture
- L112× bodyweight Pistolfuture
✓ achieved (orange = 2026) · ◎ to do · ○ future. Levels and steps from Overcoming Gravity; loads relative to bodyweight.
How to get there
From my guide Pistol and Shrimp Squats, which also covers Shrimp Squat.
Legs are where bodyweight training needs the most creativity. My answer is single-leg work: pistols up to 1.2× bodyweight (holding a weight in front), and shrimp squats up to the advanced shrimp. The goals are a 1.35× bodyweight pistol and the two-hand shrimp.
Single-leg strength also makes running and jumping feel better, and exposes left/right differences that bilateral squats hide.
The ladders
Pistol: parallel squat → full squat → side-to-side (Cossack) squat → pistol → weighted pistol at increasing multiples of bodyweight.
Shrimp: lunges → split squat → beginner shrimp (rear knee down, holding nothing) → intermediate → advanced (holding the rear foot) → two-hand shrimp → deficit and weighted versions.
Prerequisites
- Ankle mobility. A pistol needs a lot of dorsiflexion; heel-elevated squats can bridge the gap.
- Knee and foot control: big toe pressed down, knee tracking over the toes.
- Split squats for basic single-leg strength first.
Cues
- Pistol: reach the arms forward as a counterweight; push the knee out over the toes; stay tall rather than folding.
- Shrimp: lean forward to counterbalance; lower slowly; touch the rear knee down without crashing.
- Weighted pistol: a kettlebell held in front actually helps the balance; it’s the leg that has to cope.
- Weaker leg first, every set.
Programming
- Three sets of five per leg, adding a rep per session, then add load or move up the ladder.
- Box pistols (sitting back to a box) to build range gradually.
- Pair with hinge work for the back of the legs: Nordic curls, reverse hyperextensions, single-leg bridges.
- On running-heavy weeks, keep single-leg work to one session.
Common mistakes
- Heel lifting on pistols: an ankle mobility issue, not a strength one.
- Knee caving in under load. Lower the weight.
- Rushing depth. Slow, pain-free range beats deep and rushed.
Sources
- Overcoming Gravity (2nd edition), Steven Low: squat and shrimp squat columns.
- r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine: squat progression.
- Zone 2 Training, for how this fits around running.