The single-leg squat is a squat on one leg with the other held off the floor, taken as deep as you can control. It needs no equipment, turns your bodyweight into a heavy load for one leg, and makes the hip and ankle keep the knee lined up over the foot — which is why it tests control as much as strength.
How to do it
- Stand on one foot with the other held just off the floor, arms forward for balance.
- Push the hips back and bend the standing knee, keeping it in line with your toes.
- Go only as deep as you can control, then stand up through the whole foot.
Common mistakes
- Letting the standing knee cave inward on the way down.
- Dropping into the bottom and bouncing out, which hands the work to momentum.
What it trains
- Quads
- extend the knee with your whole bodyweight on one leg — the prime mover
- Glutes
- extend the hip and keep the pelvis level over the standing leg
- Hamstrings
- assist the hip and control the way down
- Feet and ankles
- keep you balanced over one foot, which is often what ends a set first
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
How do I work up to a single-leg squat?
Shorten the range or add support, then take it away. Squat down to a box or bench and stand back up, or hold a rack upright lightly with one hand, and lower the box as you get stronger. Balance improves within a few sessions; strength at the bottom takes longer.
Do I log both legs?
No — log the reps of one leg. Do the same number on the other side, but the set you enter is one leg's; if one side falls short, enter that side's count. StackUp tracks this exercise by reps and raises your target reps as you beat them, and adding weight — a dumbbell or a vest — is optional.
How deep should a single-leg squat go?
As deep as you can go with the knee over your toes and without collapsing at the bottom. For most people that starts at a quarter to half of a full squat, and thighs parallel is a solid target. Keep the depth the same from session to session, or your rep counts stop meaning anything.
Is a single-leg squat the same as a pistol squat?
The pistol is one version of it: all the way down, with the free leg held straight out in front. A single-leg squat covers any depth and any position of the free leg, so the pistol is simply where it ends up.
In StackUp. Logged as reps per set. Add weight if you use a belt or a dumbbell and StackUp progresses it like any other lift. Get the app.
Legs
