Legs · Tier 3
Shrimp Squat
The shrimp squat is a single-leg squat where the rear leg folds behind you — it builds brutal quad strength and balance and bridges Bulgarians to the pistol.
Also known as: Skater Squat- Difficulty
- 5/10 · Intermediate
- Tier
- 03
- Equipment
- none
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The shrimp squat sits at tier 3 of the legs branch, right after the Bulgarian split squat and one step before the pistol. It's where single-leg squatting gets serious: by folding the rear leg behind you, all the load lands on one quad while your core and balance fight to keep you upright. Earning clean shrimps is what gives you the raw leg strength to attack the pistol without grinding through a half-rep mess.
This is a strength *and* a skill — and on a hard single-leg movement, the slow lower is where the strength is built, not the rush back up. Own a depth you can control to a soft tap, fade the pad and the support week by week, and let the rep count on your weaker leg set the pace. Honest reps here pay off the moment you stand up on one leg for your first pistol.
Readiness gates
Clear these measurable conditions before forcing the skill.
10 per leg
Technique, step by step
Four checkpoints for one honest repetition or hold.
- 01Setup
Set your stance and grab your foot
Stand tall on your working leg, foot flat and pointed straight ahead. Bend the rear knee and reach back with the same-side hand to grab the top of that foot, pulling the heel toward your glute. Brace your abs hard and lift your chest so your spine stays long. Pick a fixed spot on the floor about two meters ahead — staring at it is half your balance.
- 02Lower
Sit down until the rear knee taps
Push your hips back and bend the working knee on a slow 3-second count, letting your torso lean forward to counterbalance. Drive the working knee out over your toes and keep that heel glued to the floor. Lower under full control until the trailing knee lightly kisses the ground behind you — no crashing down. The free arm reaches forward to act as a balance counterweight.
- 03Drive
Stand up through the floor
From the bottom, push the floor away through your mid-foot and heel and lead with your chest so hips and shoulders rise together. Keep squeezing the rear foot into your glute so the back leg stays packed — don't let it drop and steal your balance. Grind through the sticking point just off the floor; that's the hardest inch. If the working knee caves in or your foot rolls, you've lost tension — reset.
- 04Top
Lock out and reset balance
Finish fully upright on the working leg, knee and hip locked, glute squeezed, ribs stacked over hips. Pause a beat, rebuild your brace, and confirm you're steady before the next rep. Don't rush the turnaround — a wobbly rep teaches a wobbly pattern. Train both sides; the weaker leg sets your rep count.
Skill practice guide
Public skill guidance — not your protected personalized eight-week plan.
Own 3+ clean, controlled shrimp squats per leg to a light knee tap and back up with no assistance — the strength base for the pistol.
4–5 sets of 3–5 reps per leg with a 3s lower and a soft tap at the bottom.
2–3×/week with at least 48h between leg sessions.
Start with a high pad under the rear knee and a light support to stand; each week lower the pad and take less help. When 4 sets of 5 per leg feel solid to a true floor tap, you have the leg strength to start the pistol.
Common faults
I lose my balance and step out at the bottom of the shrimp squat+
Your eyes are wandering and your descent is too fast, so your center of mass overshoots before you can correct. Fix your gaze on one spot on the floor ahead and slow the lower to a 3-second count. Reach the free arm forward as a counterweight and pause briefly above the floor to own each depth before going lower.
My working knee caves inward when I stand up from a shrimp squat+
The single-leg load is more than your hip can currently track, so the knee collapses toward the midline. Actively press the floor away with the outside of your foot and cue 'knee out over the toe' through the whole rep. Keep your heel down and your foot tripod loaded — if it still caves, regress to box shrimps to a higher surface until the strength catches up.
My rear knee slams into the floor instead of tapping softly+
You're descending faster than your working leg can brake, so gravity finishes the rep for you. Slow the eccentric to 3–4 seconds and stack a folded towel or pad under the trailing knee so the target is higher and forgiving. Drop only as low as you can control today, then lower the pad over weeks as your eccentric strength builds.
I can lower into a shrimp squat but can't stand back up+
You have the eccentric strength but not the concentric power out of the hole — the inch just off the floor is the sticking point. Train slow negatives to the pad, then stand using whatever help you need from a support, taking less each session. Tap-and-go from a slightly higher box also builds the bottom-end drive until you can grind the full range unassisted.
I can't reach back to grab my foot without falling over+
Tight quads or hip flexors make the rear-leg grab pull you off balance before you even start. Use the skater-squat variation instead: let the rear leg hang free behind you without holding the foot, which removes the mobility demand. Pair that with daily standing quad and hip-flexor stretches, and the foot-hold version opens up over a few weeks.
Useful setup
Gives a forgiving target so you can train depth without bruising the kneecap, and you lower it as control improves.
Lets you offload exactly as much weight as you need on the stand and dial assistance down rep by rep.
A stable base keeps your heel down and knee tracking — cushioned running shoes wreck the balance on one leg.
Primary muscles
Quads · Glutes · Balance · Core