About one leg squat

[jakralj]

So, I can do a negative one leg squat having almost full control all the way down, but still have no strength to perform a getting up part of it. Am I close to performing a one leg squat, or negative is not nearly as hard as a positive part?

[Matthew Proulx]

When I started doing SLS I used kettlebells so it was easier due to the counterbalance of weight otherwise, I found the going down part harder, of course this is balance, going up requires much more strength, this is after all a quad dominant exercise, your muscles are 40% stronger in the eccentric(negative) phase than they are in the concentric(positive) phase, so I have read in a scientific study that is.    

As for being close, try working on slow negatives up to 5x5 per leg, you will find that is a good place to start

Edited October 27, 2013 by MattProulx

[Connor Davies]

Negatives are good, especially when done slowly.  I did a lot of those when I first learned the one leg squat.

 

What really helped me was pressing off something with my hand to initiate the move back up.  First I used a really low table, then I used the floor.  When I first started one leg squatting for real, I wouldn't nail every rep, so I had to use my hand to assist occasionally. 

[Jon Douglas]

I like negatives with a static at the bottom. You can get a little more out of this by making it more about actively trying to push back up, regardless of whether you are only moving a couple cm. No swinging or lifting heels

[jakralj]

Right now, I am doing my legs following Convict Conditioning program, and I am right now doing half squats, still got a lot of work untill I master them and go to full squats..
So what do you guys think, would I benefit more if I quit doing half squats and start working out only with my single leg squat negatives, or should I keep progressing slowly, untill I get to single leg squat one step at a time?

[Mikkel Ravn]

SLS is not that hard to get; I used Pavel's advice and squatted down on a stack of books, removing a book per week, until i could do them unassisted.

Getting SLS with good form is another story though. I didn't realise how ugly mine actually were before i started F1, which has helped immensely with the flexibility and hip flexor strength required for good form. So get F1, or follow a progression that will patch up your conditioning holes, which will most likely be hamstring flexibility and hip flexor strength.

[Cody Ward]

Try a counter balance? Hold a 10lb weight out in front of you and decrease the weight until you do them without it.

Or, you could try doing them not full ROM and slowly increasing it.

[Bill Köhntopp]

Pistols aren't that hard for the quad to my mind. I always feel my leg biceps more because its under big tension the whole time, especially when going down very slowly.  Maybe its a prob of flexibilty of your heels or hips and you can not get to the point where you get access to your leg power. But the best is to do it in a door frame, with slight support of your hands, so its also better to get the feeling for the motion without helping to much, balance will come fast. but every human should have enough strength to do it that way. strenght can not be the limiting factor i think, ok it can, but come on, your legs are used to support your whole body weight through the day

[Connor Davies]

If you want you can curl your raised leg so it's not so hard on your hip flexors and hamstrings.  It's cheating though, you'll definitely build up more strength with an extended leg.

 

Make sure you're wearing shoes as well, I find them basically impossible barefoot.

 

Try raising your heels on a book.  It makes the move a hell of a lot easier.

[Jon Douglas]

If you want you can curl your raised leg so it's not so hard on your hip flexors and hamstrings.  It's cheating though, you'll definitely build up more strength with an extended leg.

 

Make sure you're wearing shoes as well, I find them basically impossible barefoot.

 

Try raising your heels on a book.  It makes the move a hell of a lot easier.

More calf and Achilles stretching for you!

[Bill Köhntopp]

Bipocni, i have to say the opposite. Barefoot is damned good for that. Barefoot you should try to pinch in the floor with your toes and also try to press your leg in the ground as hard as you can, this builds good strenght in your feet too and is a important thing for this exercise. later you can do this also with shoes, but at the beginning its a important point to make this move, helps to stabilize a lot. and stretching, like Jon said already.

[Connor Davies]

More calf and Achilles stretching for you!

It was never about the flexibility.  It just seemed to reduce the load. 

 

 

Bipocni, i have to say the opposite. Barefoot is damned good for that. Barefoot you should try to pinch in the floor with your toes and also try to press your leg in the ground as hard as you can, this builds good strenght in your feet too and is a important thing for this exercise. later you can do this also with shoes, but at the beginning its a important point to make this move, helps to stabilize a lot. and stretching, like Jon said already.

Obviously barefoot is preferable, but I find the stable platform that a shoe provides to be a huge benefit.  I first started pistol squatting in a pair of combat boots two sizes too big for me, and trust me that makes the squat so much easier.

[Bill Köhntopp]

It was never about the flexibility.  It just seemed to reduce the load. 

 

 

Obviously barefoot is preferable, but I find the stable platform that a shoe provides to be a huge benefit.  I first started pistol squatting in a pair of combat boots two sizes too big for me, and trust me that makes the squat so much easier.

It's not that i don't believe you, i just think the big benefit of the pistol isn't the power for the upper legs in general, what pistols makes so fantastic is that they help you to stabilize your ankles, knees with all the little muscles you activate while doing them. thats the difference to other leg exercises, and if you leave this out you can simply do squats to my mind. 

[Connor Davies]

It's not that i don't believe you, i just think the big benefit of the pistol isn't the power for the upper legs in general, what pistols makes so fantastic is that they help you to stabilize your ankles, knees with all the little muscles you activate while doing them. thats the difference to other leg exercises, and if you leave this out you can simply do squats to my mind. 

Oh, of course.  I'll get there eventually.  I've pretty much dropped all pistol work in favour of working through the SLS progressions in F1.

[Bill Köhntopp]

Oh, of course.  I'll get there eventually.  I've pretty much dropped all pistol work in favour of working through the SLS progressions in F1.

Me too. i think i could do 3 x 8-9 at my best, but i wanted to go through F1 because i want really good ones with leg horizontal and not nearly horizontal

[Christoph Pahl]

I learned them as a child (don't remember how, but it was pretty easy as I had 50% BW then) and never lost them. This is exactly the preferred training program of all high level gymnasts for their extremely difficult skills