Can pistols injure you?

Started by xi xia, October 28, 2009 · 4 Replies · 2,330 Views

xi xia

Hello,

I've been doing more pistols this past year with the GB wods and my knees feel fine. My backsquat barbell max hasn't gone up but I also don't have any hip flexor pain like I did when doing too many backsquats with the barbell.

I want to see if I can do weighted pistols to increase my back squat and thus my vertical. Many people in strength forums cite their experiences with increasing their backsquat to increase their vertical.

How much volume can I do in pistols? Has anybody been injured by too many pistols?

xx

Seiji

My personal opinion is that pistols shouldn't be done with added weight. Since you go down all the way, you risk damaging the knee. There's this russian dance, which so happens I can't do, that hurts your knees so bad: It's where the guy is squatting and walking around on one leg at a time. The two leg gets to you, but the one leggeds hurt your knees.

Like at: 1:00, 1:10, 2:27, 2:40, 2:57. It's as if they're trying to break their legs!

Bodyweight pistols are good. I went to a gym and did pistols... a guy said it looked gay and totally shot it down.

The best way is actually to make sure you have good blocking technique. This video isn't for gymnastics, but the same concept is explained.

Longshanks

If you want to make them harder theres loads of variations in pavels book Naked warrior. Think the hardest and safest would be the isometric one where you hold it just off the bottom. Suppose if you wanted to make it harder you could tie a belt around your thigh and shin. Thats how they proved that isometrics work with frogs. Apparently one leg grew so out of proportion with the other that they could only jump around in circles! haha

Blairbob

If you can make the shin more vertical, you can apply more load onto the musclature.

Pistols/SLS can be done with weight or for power.