Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Gentle Style One Leg Squat: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The one leg squat, also known as a pistol squat, is a challenging lower body exercise that targets the glutes while also engaging the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. It requires significant balance, strength, and coordination, as you lower your body on one leg while keeping the other leg extended off the ground.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads , Hamstrings , Calves
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the gentle style one leg squat
Front view: muscles worked by the gentle style one leg squat. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, hamstrings and calves.
Back view: muscles worked by the gentle style one leg squat. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, hamstrings and calves.
Primary Secondary

How to do the gentle style one leg squat

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: gentle variation Extend one leg forward, keeping it off the ground.
  3. Step 3: Bend your standing leg and lower your body down as if sitting back into a chair.
  4. Step 4: Keep your chest up and your back straight.
  5. Step 5: Push through your heel to return to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat with the other leg.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the gentle style one leg squat by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Gentle Style One Leg Squat alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

See the best glute exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.