Pistol squat
Knee and thigh · Advanced · in reps · per side
Why it helps your running
Max single-leg strength with just your body weight: trail descents that no longer trash your quads.
- You'll need
- nothing: just your bodyweight
- Tempo
- 3 s down, 1s pause, 1 s up
How to do it
- On one leg, the other straight out in front, lower for 3 seconds all the way down, heel on the ground.
- Hold a second at the bottom, come back up without swinging.
- Arms straight out in front act as a counterweight.
- Same number each side.
Common mistakes
- Your heel lifts at the bottom: you're short on ankle mobility.
- Your knee caves inward.
- You bounce at the bottom to come back up.
CautionOnly if you can do the assisted single-leg squat cleanly. Any pain under or around the kneecap: go back to the assisted version and cut the range of motion.
Strength work, built into your plan.
Your coach picks your movements, their sets and tempo, and slots them into your week — with a guided session, minute by minute.