Shrimp Squat: Beyond the Pistol

The shrimp squat (also called a natural leg curl or single-leg squat to back) is an advanced single-leg squat variation that many calisthenics athletes overlook. Here's what it is and why to train it.

The movement: stand on one leg, bend the other leg behind you, and grip the ankle or foot. Descend on the standing leg while the rear foot trails behind. At the bottom, the rear knee grazes the floor. Return to standing.

Why it's harder than the pistol: the rear leg being held behind prevents it from contributing to balance the way the extended leg does in a pistol. The standing leg must handle pure vertical squatting with no counterweight assistance. The hip flexor demand is higher.

Progressions: first, get the ankle hold without squatting. Build hip flexor flexibility to comfortably hold the foot behind you. Then add partial squats. Then full range.

Relationship to the pistol: the shrimp squat and pistol squat are roughly equal in difficulty for most trainees but train slightly different qualities. The shrimp squat emphasizes upright torso and pure vertical loading; the pistol emphasizes ankle dorsiflexion and hip flexor extension strength.