Bodyweight Evil Pistol Workout

[305pelusa]

Been experimenting with a fairly simple-but-not-easy one-legged squat routine. It goes as:

5 sets of 6-8 Pistol Squats. The tempo is 31X1 (3 secs to lower, 1 sec hold at bottom, concentric as fast as possible, etc). You do all the reps on one leg, and immediately do them all on the other leg. Once both legs are done, rest 90 seconds and go for another set. You should hold onto the free leg with your hand.

I enjoy quite a few things about it:
1) The slightly higher reps places it at the ideal muscle building level. Pistols don't build a ton of mass, but done with higher reps, they definitely build up the muscle.
2) The short rest period is mainly to support that anabolic response. However, because the Pistol involves so many muscles, and you're effectively doing two sets at a time, expect this to tax your conditioning heavily. Try to normalize your breathing as fast as possible while you rest.
3) Holding onto the free leg is a little "hack" I started working with. It takes a lot of effort to hold that free leg by itself. Doing this lets you take a set a bit further and really fatigue the working leg. Not to mention, the free leg will be "fresher" for its set instead of pre-fatigued.
4) It takes very little time. Unlike ladders and GTG, you can do this Pistol workout in 15 minutes, once a week, and get great results (more reps each time, excellent pump, etc).

It's fairly difficult and painful. But the feeling and pump afterwards is satisfying.

Thought I should share for the masochists in the forum who want to use the Pistol for some hypertrophy and conditioning work.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Nice! I usually do my pistols at the end of my workout, but putting them upfront with more volume/pacing should generate a pretty respectable response.

 

[Kristen Mitchell]

Been experimenting with a fairly simple-but-not-easy one-legged squat routine. It goes as:

5 sets of 6-8 Pistol Squats. The tempo is 31X1 (3 secs to lower, 1 sec hold at bottom, concentric as fast as possible, etc). You do all the reps on one leg, and immediately do them all on the other leg. Once both legs are done, rest 90 seconds and go for another set. You should hold onto the free leg with your hand.

I enjoy quite a few things about it:
1) The slightly higher reps places it at the ideal muscle building level. Pistols don't build a ton of mass, but done with higher reps, they definitely build up the muscle.
2) The short rest period is mainly to support that anabolic response. However, because the Pistol involves so many muscles, and you're effectively doing two sets at a time, expect this to tax your conditioning heavily. Try to normalize your breathing as fast as possible while you rest.
3) Holding onto the free leg is a little "hack" I started working with. It takes a lot of effort to hold that free leg by itself. Doing this lets you take a set a bit further and really fatigue the working leg. Not to mention, the free leg will be "fresher" for its set instead of pre-fatigued.
4) It takes very little time. Unlike ladders and GTG, you can do this Pistol workout in 15 minutes, once a week, and get great results (more reps each time, excellent pump, etc).

It's fairly difficult and painful. But the feeling and pump afterwards is satisfying.

Thought I should share for the masochists in the forum who want to use the Pistol for some hypertrophy and conditioning work.

Interesting! I've been working pistols a couple of days a week and doing something similar on one of those days. My first "heavier day" is 3 sets of ladders (1,2,3,4,5 or 2,3,5) off a very low stool holding about 5 lbs. Although I can do full pistols, for some reason the stool really helps me engage what needs to be engaged. My other day, I'm doing 3-5 sets of 5 reps holding the toe of my free leg. I'm really liking this version and holding the toe is a very familiar holdover from my yoga practice. This day just flat on the floor. I follow the pistols up on both days with SLDL either holding a 16-20 kg or higher rep BW and a couple of sets of BW hip thrusts. Nice routine that takes about 30 minutes total.

 

[305pelusa]

My other day, I'm doing 3-5 sets of 5 reps holding the toe of my free leg. I'm really liking this version and holding the toe is a very familiar holdover from my yoga practice.

F@#'k you're pretty strong. And not that I think 40 is old or females are weak, but when you take those into account too, you're probably one of the strongest people I know of. Certainly in this forum.

Rock on Kristen.

 

[Kristen Mitchell]

F@#'k you're pretty strong. And not that I think 40 is old or females are weak, but when you take those into account too, you're probably one of the strongest people I know of. Certainly in this forum.

Rock on Kristen.

You totally made my day Also, just to clarify, I'm 42 with 2 small children. Definitely do not see myself as that strong. Just really obsessive about training progressions and owning certain moves like pistols and pullups. Now, if I could get there with the OAPU, I'd be really happy. That move continues to be elusive (and annoying) for me. This weekend, I'm meeting up with some of the peeps that attended the SF BW Cert with me a couple of months ago and hopefully they can help me figure out my leaks.

 

[Maine-ah KB]

wow thats an impressive squat routine. I've been using the Airborn Lunge recently with good results, partially becouse my max bodyweight pistols are at 3 reps and partially because i feel more balanced and can load them between 10 reps no weight or 2 reps at 24kg.

 

[Wesker11]

I'm currently running Get Strong. Anxiously awaiting those airborn lunges. Hopefully just another month or two.

 

[305pelusa]

Definitely do not see myself as that strong. Just really obsessive about training progressions and owning certain moves like pistols and pullups. Now, if I could get there with the OAPU, I'd be really happy. That move continues to be elusive (and annoying) for me. This weekend, I'm meeting up with some of the peeps that attended the SF BW Cert with me a couple of months ago and hopefully they can help me figure out my leaks.

Pistols and Pull-ups are already a rather impressive achievement to be frank. A OAPU would simply be otherworldly though. I don't think I've ever met a female who can do them. Heck, most guys can't do them. I truly hope you get it. We definitely need strong people like you in the Calisthenics community to make it respected.

 

[305pelusa]

I'm currently running Get Strong. Anxiously awaiting those airborn lunges. Hopefully just another month or two.

Make sure you take a few before/after pictures!!

Dragondoor is running a contest with Get Strong. You submit "before" pictures, and 16 weeks after, "after" picture. From the submissions, they'll pick winners and you could win some really awesome prizes! The details are here:
The Get Strong Transformation Challenge

You're essentially assured one of their prizes, which could be nice if you want to attend a PCC. The Grand prize (500 bucks) is really awesome though. Just passing down info in case you didn't know. If you're running the program, might as well compete!

 

[Wesker11]

Make sure you take a few before/after pictures!!

Dragondoor is running a contest with Get Strong. You submit "before" pictures, and 16 weeks after, "after" picture. From the submissions, they'll pick winners and you could win some really awesome prizes! The details are here:
The Get Strong Transformation Challenge

You're essentially assured one of their prizes, which could be nice if you want to attend a PCC. The Grand prize (500 bucks) is really awesome though. Just passing down info in case you didn't know. If you're running the program, might as well compete!

I didn't know. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[SolidBrawn]

@305pelusa That's a solid looking Pistol program. The pistol has been my primary leg exercise for a while now and I've had some great results with it. My current program includes pistols 3x a week with a medium, light, and heavy day. The reps I tend to stay in the range of 3-6, because beyond that my form suffers. Also, kudos for you being able to knock out 6-8 and then switch over to the next leg immediately. I usually like a 30-45 sec breather, because I find Pistols physically and mentally taxing. A little drill I like to do sometimes is going over to these outdoor table tennis tables (while no one's playing) and step up with on leg (bottom of a pistol), shift my weight over so that my other leg just hangs, tighten up and stand up out of the rock bottom position. You definitely feel every muscle in the leg firing (quads, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, calves...).

@Kristen Mitchell Awesome! Keep at it!

 

[305pelusa]

Also, kudos for you being able to knock out 6-8 and then switch over to the next leg immediately. I usually like a 30-45 sec breather, because I find Pistols physically and mentally taxing.

Haha thanks. That's actually an important part. If you use the correct tempo, go for 8 reps, switch legs immediately after a set, and only rest 90 secs, then the work/rest becomes right at 1-to-1.

I don't presume it's ideal for strength training, but it's perfect for muscle building and builds some serious conditioning.

A little drill I like to do sometimes is going over to these outdoor table tennis tables (while no one's playing) and step up with on leg (bottom of a pistol), shift my weight over so that my other leg just hangs, tighten up and stand up out of the rock bottom position. You definitely feel every muscle in the leg firing (quads, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, calves...)

Nice good stuff! Also, squat down on two legs, shift to one until you're at the bottom of the Pistol, and then squat up on one leg. It has the same effect, and doesn't require any equipment.

Although I'm not super sure why these eccentric-less variations are useful. They aren't ideal for muscle. And if you wanted to build strength, you should just weigh them.

I suppose it's pretty knee friendly.

 

[North Coast Miller]

Haha thanks. That's actually an important part. If you use the correct tempo, go for 8 reps, switch legs immediately after a set, and only rest 90 secs, then the work/rest becomes right at 1-to-1.

I don't presume it's ideal for strength training, but it's perfect for muscle building and builds some serious conditioning.



Nice good stuff! Also, squat down on two legs, shift to one until you're at the bottom of the Pistol, and then squat up on one leg. It has the same effect, and doesn't require any equipment.

Although I'm not super sure why these eccentric-less variations are useful. They aren't ideal for muscle. And if you wanted to build strength, you should just weigh them.

I suppose it's pretty knee friendly.

You can reverse this strategy and do single leg eccentric, tap the off leg on the way back up. But...I found by the time I could lower myself with control, I could also do a pretty solid concentric as well. The eccentrics are brutal.

For strength, they give you some solid power coming out of the hole, and confidence on the eccentric with pretty heavy loads. I think your pistol workout is going to give you some very good results all the way around.