Bodyweight Mastery: Legs

How to complete Bodyweight Mastery: Legs

A full pistol squat demands single-leg strength, ankle mobility, and balance at the same time, which is why strong gym lifters often fail it on the first try. Training it fixes left-right imbalances and builds control through the deepest range your knee and hip can reach.

1. Test your ankle mobility: squat deep with heels down; if your heels lift, spend two weeks on ankle stretches and calf work before anything else.
2. Start with box pistols: squat on one leg down to a bench or chair, tap, and stand up without rocking; lower the surface over weeks.
3. Add assisted pistols holding a doorframe, TRX strap, or pole, using arms as little as possible.
4. Train slow negatives: lower on one leg over five seconds all the way down, then use both legs to stand up.
5. Hold a small counterweight, like a 2-5 kg plate, at arms length; it shifts your balance forward and makes full reps possible sooner.
6. Gradually shrink the counterweight to zero and perform a clean full-depth rep on each leg.

Tips

• Elevating the heel on a small plate is a legitimate stepping stone while ankle mobility catches up.
• Train the weaker leg first each session and match reps with the stronger one.
• Two or three focused sessions per week beats daily grinding; the knee needs recovery.

What counts as done

You can descend to full depth and stand back up on each leg separately, no hands, no support, no heel lift.