CHAPTER SIX
FIELD-STRIPPING THE PISTOL
• One-Legged Squat, Paul Anderson Style
• Airborne Lunge
• Renegade Pistol
• Fire in the Hole Pistol
Here is your guide on taking your one-legged squat performance from zero to hero.
Box Pistol
The pistol comes in many flavors. The first variation to master is the box pistol, sitting back on a box or bench, rocking back, then rocking forward and standing up. The box squat has been hailed by many champion powerlifters, from George Frenn to Louie Simmons and Yuri Fomin, and for a good reason. For max squat power the quads are not enough; the glutes and the hamstrings must also be maximally recruited. The only way to make it happen is pre-stretching the hip muscles by sitting back rather than straight down. If this is done right, your shins will remain nearly vertical and your butt will protrude far back, almost as if you are doing a good morning.
The reward will be remarkable squatting, jumping, kicking, and sprinting power, all around leg development, and low knee stress.
When the shin is kept nearly vertical the patella tendon is not smashing the kneecap into the joint. Besides, the knee is further protected from the rear by hamstring tension. It is a fact that the hammies stay tight all the way into the hole when you are box squatting by the book. That is rarely the case with conventional squats, at least for inexperienced squatters. No wonder powerlifters who had torn their patella tendons with traditional squats were known not to merely rehab themselves with box squats but to make a quantum leap in their total—without any further knee problems!
Another reason the box variation of the one-legged squat is so great is the ease of adaptation to any strength level. While the rocking squat off the floor is even harder than the regular rock bottom pistol, a pistol to a high bench is within anyone’s ability. As you get stronger just increase the depth.
Touch and go without rocking is another way to do it. Completely relaxing before flexing off is the most evil option.
Stand a couple of feet in front of a box set high enough to stop you at a quarter squat. Go barefoot or wear flat shoes: Chuck Taylors, wrestling shoes, etc. Pistols are easiest in boots, so boots may be a good starting point. Fancy cushioned sneakers are no good. Use the simple rule of thumb: the more you paid for your shoes, the less suitable they are for strength training.
Lift one nearly straight leg in front of you, and squat. Make a point of keeping your weight on your heel and sticking your butt out as far as possible—think a good morning, not a squat. Keep your arms in front of you for balance. You may find that holding a light weight, say a five or ten pound plate, will help with balance. With or without weight, reach forward as far as possible—without letting your knee slip.
As Rob Lawrence, RKC Sr., put it, “You have to lean forward as much as you do in a good morning. If you don’t you will lose your balance and fall backwards. Think about it: when you are standing straight up you are perfectly balanced. If part of you goes backward, an equal part of you must go forward or you will fall over.”
“To make sure you are leaning forward enough, I recommend keeping your head in line with your support foot as you descend. In fact, when you start out you can even look right down at the foot. Since you are not carrying weight on your back as in the squat, this is not dangerous.”
“Pretty soon you will notice, if you lean forward enough in order to counterbalance your sitting back, you will descend successfully. If you don’t lean forward enough, you will fall backwards.”
Mas Oyama used to make an amusing demonstration of physics relevant to the box pistol. He would have a student sit in a chair and press just one finger against the student’s forehead. The karate master would instruct the latter to get up and the student could not as his center of gravity was behind his feet. Take notice.
It is imperative that your knee does not buckle in and does not hang over your toes; the closer to vertical is your shin, the better. Pretend that you are stuck in cement up to your knee or are wearing stiff ski boots. Do wear ski boots if you must.
It is imperative that your knee does not buckle in and does not hang over your toes.
The closer to vertical is your shin, the better. Pretend that you are stuck in cement up to your knee or are wearing stiff ski boots.
Sit back with control, rock back until you are upright. Rock forward—far forward—without hesitation and stand up, explosively, but without losing tension.
You will notice that you have a tendency to shift your foot underneath you the moment before you stand up. Your quad is so dominant that you subconsciously want to shift all the work to it and unload your weak ham and glute. Don’t! Go on a higher box if necessary but achieve a vertical shin and a foot that is “glued” to the floor!
One technique that will help you keep your lower leg upright is to have your training partner place his or her hand on your shin an inch or two below your kneecap. The partner will physically stop your shin from moving forward should you go against the Party directive.
Be sure to contract your glute when you are standing up. “Pinch a coin” with your cheeks. Once more: stay on your heel.
Once you have gotten the hip thrust action down pat and you are comfortable squatting to a high box you will have other things to worry about. As the depth of your rocking pistol increases, you will notice that it is virtually impossible to go deeper than a couple of inches above parallel without letting your knee slip forward. I am sure you have experienced the same problem with barbell squats.
No big deal, just use a tip from powerlifters: instead of yielding to the weight, actively pull yourself into the hole with your hip flexors, the muscles on top of your thigh. Here is how to recruit them. Lie on your back and pull your leg towards your chest, as high as you can, against mild resistance from your training partner. Try to get the same feeling when you are descending into a squat; literally pull yourself down with the hip flexor.
In the beginning your hip flexors, the muscles on the tops of your thighs, might cramp a bit, especially on the airborne leg. Stretch them between sets by lunging or kneeling on one knee and pushing your hips forward while keeping your torso upright. Do very few sets and reps until you adapt—which might take weeks.
Lie on your back and pull your leg towards your chest, as high as you can, against mild resistance from your training partner.
Try to get the same feeling when you are descending into a squat; literally pull yourself down with the hip flexor.
The hip flexor muscles on top of your thigh below the abdomen are easy to overwork with pistols! Make sure to stretch them after every set and to build up your volume very gradually!
As you keep progressing towards the ground you will be encountering more balance problems. Make sure to keep reaching forward with your hands, with or without a weight; this will help your stability in the back to front plane. Holding on to the big toe of the straight leg with one or both hands is another option if you are flexible enough.
To contract the glute imagine pinching a coin with your cheeks.
The side-to-side balance is tougher. Flexing the glute and the inner thigh of the squatting leg before you start descending is going to be a big help. To contract the glute imagine pinching a coin with your cheeks. To flex the adductors imagine “zipping them up” from your knees up into your groin.
Keep these muscles—and the rest of the leg muscles!—tight as you go down and you are guaranteed to have better balance and greater power. Another cool tip is to grip the deck with your toes. And yes, it is okay to slightly help yourself with your other leg in the beginning. Just make sure to wean yourself off ASAP.
You may be getting exhausted from the never-ending details by now. Be patient. First, you do not have to apply them all at once, in the beginning just keeping your shin vertical will do. Add new power tips as the weeks go by. Trust me, it is worth it. Gains do not come from complex routines; they come from simple ones that pay attention to details. “It took me FOREVER to do pistols correctly,” admitted Rob Lawrence, RKC Sr., on the dragondoor.com forum. “It was worth every ounce of effort.”
Gains do not come from complex routines; they come from simple ones that pay attention to details.
More details. Inhale on the way down or when you are on the box. The moment your butt is about to clear the box pressurize your abdomen. Your waist will feel powerfully tight. The ‘Chi’ generated will flow into your working leg and you will stand up with no effort! Personally, I prefer the hissing version of power breathing for pistols, but it is just one legit option.
Once you have worked down to a very low, curb level, rocking pistol keep moving down until you sit back on the deck! Visualize punching straight through the ground with your heel when you are standing up. The action is similar to the taekwondo back kick. The foot of your working leg will lift off the ground as you are rocking back. This unloading—you may try it at higher levels too—will make the squat very tough. So tough that the regular rock bottom pistol will feel like a piece of cake!
Some comrades’ builds will not allow them to do a deck pistols; if you cannot keep your balance even with good flexibility you will have to hold a weight in front of you.
Visualize punching straight through the ground with your heel when you are standing up.
The foot of your working leg will lift off the ground as you are rocking back.
A PROGRESSIVE BOX PISTOL WORKOUT INSPIRED BY PAUL ANDERSON
Do a set of rocking pistols to a high box a rep or two short of failure. One leg, then, after a minute or so, the other. Your reps will be higher than five; it is all right as the distance is shorter than usual.
Lower the box level by an inch or two and do another set. Stretch your hip flexors lightly between your sets to prevent them from tightening up. Keep progressing in this fashion until you are down to one rep, then work back up. You will be a hurting unit!
Pistol Classic
At last, the real deal.
Go rock bottom and get up without bounce. Easier said than done. Before attempting the classic pistol you need enough balance and flexibility to comfortably stay in the rock bottom position. In the beginning you may hold a very light, five to ten pound weight far in front of you for counterbalance. Do not hold on to anything else; it is too easy to cheat!
Try to keep your back as straight as possible but do not expect to get it truly straight.
A slightly tucked in tail on the bottom is acceptable.
To do the conventional one-legged squat pull yourself in the hole as you have for the rocking squat but instead of sitting on the deck sit on your haunches. Try to keep your back as straight as possible but do not expect to get it truly straight. Unless you have medical restrictions, a slightly tucked in tail on the bottom is acceptable.
Understand the difference between “straight” and “upright”. “Upright” is a physical impossibility with the heel planted unless you have the ankle flexibility of a mutant. Go for “straight”, in other words “not rounded.”
Pause long enough to eliminate the bounce. This makes the drill both harder and safer. Pressurize your abdomen and pop up. Stand up all the way, make sure to stretch your hip flexors by aggressively driving your hips forward.
Stand up all the way.
Make sure to stretch your hip flexors by aggressively driving your hips forward.
As before, do not let your knee slip forward or bow! An effective technique for learning to keep your shin nearly vertical and to drive from your heel is to do your one legged squats off a barbell plate or a similar elevation. NOT by elevating the heel the way bodybuilders do it, but by placing the back half of your foot on the plate and letting your toes hang in the air.
Place the back half of your foot on the plate and letting your toes hang in the air.
As soon as you cheat and shift your weight to the balls of your feet your toes will touch the ground and you will be punished! Do not let your knee bow in, your ankle cave in, or your body rotate.
Do not let your knee slip forward or bow in, your ankle cave in, or your body rotate!
AN OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTER’S GETTING-STARTED TRICK
Sixty-two year old hard man J. D. Wilson posted this on the dragondoor.com forum, “Get comfortable in the bottom position [of the pistol]. I stole this idea from Gary Valentine who has published some great ideas on learning Olympic lifting on the Old School Strength Training site...practice a static hold in the bottom position...The object? If you can’t handle this position with ease and comfort (using a light weight), how do you think you’ll do when you catch something real (i.e. heavy) in the same position?
“So, I’ve been doing the same thing in the bottom position of the pistol. In truth, I lack the flexibility to hold a static pose at the bottom and need to hold some weight in front...to maintain the position. It’s a combination stretch and balancing act. Relax into it!”
When relaxing into the stretch let out sighs of relief; imagine that you are letting the air and energy/tension out through your hip and knee.
CANADIAN KETTLEBELL INSTRUCTOR’S VISUALIZATION FOR STRONGER AND BETTER BALANCED PISTOLS
Even when you are not holding a weight it may be a good idea to imagine that you do. “Pretend you are holding a kettlebell in your hands,” suggested Pietro Puzzuoli, RKC, on the dragondoor.com forum. “This will ensure you keep your abs and whole upper body tight, which will add tension to your quads. Also, holding an imaginary KB forces you to learn proper balance w/o the need of artificial aids like chairs or doorways.”
Keep in mind that as any power tool, the pistol can be dangerous. Follow all the fine points to the ‘T’ and do not try a variation you are not ready for!
As with any power tool, the pistol can be dangerous. Follow the instructions and use your head!
Negative-Free Pistol
Comrade, have you tried concentric-only training? That is, strength exercises that de-emphasize the negative. There are at least three reasons to do it. One, to build strength without building muscle mass. Two, to up the loading volume without overtraining. And three, to increase or maintain strength while avoiding muscle soreness and maximizing recovery. 1,000 pound squatter Dr. Fred Hatfield recommends this technique to powerlifters peaking for a meet.
Squat rock bottom on both feet and slowly bring one leg forward. Compress your abdomen, tense your whole body, and get up on one leg. It works just as well for box pistols.
Squat rock bottom on both feet.
Slowly bring one leg forward.
Compress your abdomen, tense your whole body, and get up on one leg. It works just as well for box pistols.
Some comrades with tweaked knees will like the low knee stress of negative free pistols. Whenever my torn MCL acts up I just practice concentric only one-legged squats with no pain whatsoever.
You may even start your pistol training with this variation. Many people have a hard time getting down safely in the beginning, unable to fire their hip flexors and apprehensive about losing balance and falling. A little hairy for the knee. But once you have successfully stood up you should have no problem coming back down in the groove you have made on the way up.
All-Around Lifting National Champion and Record Holder Andy Komorny, RKC, made a suggestion brilliant in its simplicity, on working the concentric-only box pistol into your day on the dragondoor.com forum: ”Every time you get up from your chair, do it on one leg...shin vertical and weight on the heel.”
Cossack Pistol
Another advanced pistol variation calls for sitting in the rock bottom position with one leg straight in front then explosively switching legs.
Keep your weight on your heel!
Doing this off your toes is nothing but a balance stunt; off your heels it is a power drill. Make sure to lean and reach forward for balance.
Explosively grunt as you switch feet; imagine placing a focused front heel kick into a target. Naturally, this drill is only for healthy knees and powerful legs.
Imagine placing a focused front heel kick into a target.
Naturally, this drill is only for healthy knees and powerful legs.
Dynamic Isometric Pistol
Alright, you can knock off a dozen one-legged squats and fancy yourself to be a stud. It is time to be humbled, Comrade.
Go down rock bottom and pause there for a few seconds without relaxing.
Slowly go up until your thigh is parallel to the ground and pause again. Breathe shallow, stay tight, and enjoy the pain!
Go up another couple of inches and repeat the drill. Then finally stand up all the way. Cut in the soundtrack of evil laughter.
Combining dynamic exercise with high-tension stops at sticking points enables one to greatly increase the difficulty of strength exercise without adding weight.
Russians are better at training than marketing. They constantly invent cool techniques but often forget to name them. Such is the case with “dynamic isometrics” that owes its title to American sports scientist Dr. Michael Yessis. The essence of this powerful technique is interrupting a normal, dynamic lift with stops at certain brutal positions. The standard duration of this pause in Russia is 1-5 sec but this is not writ in stone. There can be one or more stops; always at the most difficult points of the exercise.
You could go rock bottom, go up to parallel, and pause there. For the record, most “parallel” squats you witness at gyms are a joke. The Naked Warrior defines “parallel” in powerlifting terms: the top of your knee must be above the crease on the top of your thigh.
The Naked Warrior defines “parallel” in powerlifting terms: the top of your knee must be above the crease on the top of your thigh.
A second option is to pause an inch or two above parallel, which is a typical sticking point. Then, if you are a real hombre, stand up all the way.
A third option is to go rock bottom and stay there for a few seconds without relaxing, then exploding up.
Multiple stops are truly evil. An advanced Naked Warrior can pause in the rock bottom position, then at parallel, then a couple of inches above parallel. Yes, even a very strong man can get a top quality strength workout without any equipment!
Easier variations are also possible. For instance, you could lower yourself to parallel, enjoy the pain there, and get up without going into a full squats. You may only be able to pause for a second; that is cool. Dynamic isometrics is a flexible regimen; use your imagination.
Combining dynamic exercise with high-tension stops at sticking points builds strength better than dynamic or isometric exercise alone.
In one study adding isos to dynamic lifting improved the latter’s effectiveness by more than 15%! It is easy to identify at least three reasons why:
First, spending so much time under tension at the sticking point. Compare that to the usual practice of riding through using momentum.
Second, dynamic isos teach you better tension skills. You cannot help using more tension to get a dead weight moving.
Third, this type of training builds muscle.
Isometric Pistol
Pure isometrics are great too. The Naked Warrior does them with his characteristic efficiency. Instead of the traditional three different angles with multiple contractions at each he works just one position, the very bottom, with only one long contraction per set.
In the seventies Russian scientists Zatsiorsky and Raitsin busted the myth that isos only build strength at the specific angles they are practiced. They also learned that working just the stretched position such as the bottom of the pistol or the one-arm pushup builds strength throughout the full range of motion. That saves time, Comrade!
Later Soviet and Western research revealed a surprising fact that the intensity of the isometric contraction is not very important. But the daily time under tension is. So, “why not hold a less intense contraction up to a few minutes long?” asked sharp men of strength, such as strength coach extraordinaire Jay Schroeder and strongman author Steve Justa. Indeed.
Just stay in the rock bottom pistol position for up to a couple of minutes. Do not just sit there relaxing as you did when working on your flexibility. Push—remember the “static stomp” —steady but not too hard. Make sure to keep your hamstring tensed. Slowly build up the tension to half your max, take two to three seconds. Once more: hold it steady! If tension wavers all over the place you are wasting your time.
About half your max intensity is plenty. Be clear that 50% intensity does not refer to trying half of your best throughout the set. It means you start out with 50% of your max strength and hold it. As you get tired, you will be working harder and harder to maintain that level of force. Just like lifting a 50% 1RM weight for reps.
Release the tension just as gradually. Quit before you fail; it is important! Do not sweat it if you can hold the contraction for just a few seconds in the beginning.
Do not hold up your free leg; that would be just asking for worthless hip flexor cramps. Just rest the heel of your unloaded leg on the deck in front of you.
Although the tension is submaximal you must make an effort to use all the high-tension techniques, just powered down. Use the exact technique you use for the dynamic pistol.
Keep your abdomen compressed but do not hold your breath; breathe shallow.
Make sure to stretch the front top of your thigh afterwards; the hip flexors are easy to overwork.
It bears repeating: the hip flexors on the top of your thigh cannot handle as much volume as your quads or glutes. You must build up your load slowly and stretch your hip flexors after each set.
Isos offer many advantages and make an excellent complement to dynamic strength training.
Weighted Pistol
You may practice any of the above variations, except for the airborne lunge, with a weight held in front of you. Five or ten pounds will make it easier by improving your balance and helping you to fire your hamstrings and glutes. A heavier weight will, naturally, make it harder.
Hold the weight in front of you, the elbows slightly bent.
I prefer grabbing a kettlebell by the horns but you can improvise extra resistance for pistols out of a variety of objects—ammo boxes, you name it. I do not care about losing the ‘purity’ of bodyweight-only training.
The name of the game is strength anywhere, anytime and you can easily improvise a weight for pistols unlike, say, barbell squats. A box of ammo or a rock will do.
Where bodyweight pistols can be compared to relatively upright Olympic style barbell squats, heavy weighted pistols are closer to powerlifting style squats: there is more forward lean, sometimes almost as much as in the good morning. Accordingly, there is more hamstring and even lower back involvement.
It is remarkable that you can work your spinal erectors with a relatively light weight—most Party members stick to 53 and 72 pound kettlebells. It makes sense if you think about it; holding the kettlebell way in front of you loads your back muscles because of poor leverage. This is great news, as a big downfall of bodyweight exercises is the lack of functional stress to the lower back.
Note that weighted pistols allow you to do forced reps by hooking your free heel. It is not a good idea with bodyweight only pistols as this maneuver is likely to make your knee slip forward.
“I believe that Pistols are definitely one of the greatest leg strengtheners I’ve ever done,” stated Dan ‘X-celsior’ Webb on the dragondoor.com forum. “I’ve squatted over 360 pounds in the past, but I didn’t like how huge my legs were getting so I quit squatting. Doing daily Pistols (16kgx3, 24kgx3, 24kg or 32kgx3) [36, 53, and 72 pound kettlebells respectively], I feel much stronger now than I did then.”
Weighted pistols allow you to do forced reps by hooking your free heel.