Pistol Progression Part 1 of 3 – CrossFit Cherry Hill

Here we are, back with another movement that many crossfitters seem to have trouble with; the pistol. For those not familiar with the term, a pistol is simply a one-legged squat. This movement requires not only strength and balance, but damn good mobility as well. This will be part 1 of a 3 part series on how to develop the pistol. Practice these easy steps and you’ll be one-legging in no time!

As mentioned above, the pistol requires three major factors; balance, strength, and mobility. We’re going to run through a checklist to help decipher which area(s) we need to work on.

#1 – BALANCE

“I can’t do a pistol, it must be poor balance!” My response to that would be to ask yourself the following: Can I stand on one leg? Can I hop up and down? And can I stop and land back on one leg? If you were able to answer yes to all three, then balance is probably not the issue.

Another way to test for balance issues is to test your lunge. From that same position, standing on one leg, are you able to send that leg back and down into a lunge position? Can you stand back up to your original position (one leg up) without using your hands or falling over? If you can, balance is not your problem! Try making it a bit more difficult by lifting your back foot as you lunge and stand!

#2 – STRENGTH

“I can’t do a pistol, I must not be strong enough!” If you are able to back squat (or front squat) a barbell with weight on it worth your body weight, you’re probably strong enough to do a pistol.

#3 – MOBILITY

“I can’t do a pistol, I must have poor mobility!” Can you perform a proper air squat? If you can keep your feet straight, press your knees out, and get your hip crease below your knees, then mobility is not your issue.

To truly test your mobility, bring your feet in even closer (almost together) and try squatting! If your back begins to round, toes turn out, or heels start coming off the ground, then we can look at mobility (mostly ankle and/or hip) as the culprit.

BAD:

GOOD:

After running through our balance, strength, and mobility tests mentioned above, and being able to pass all three, you’re now ready for part 2 of our pistol progression!