Lets be real. If somebody is set on calisthenics, why wouldnt they implement high rep pistol squats? Even if the femur length, waist size, neck width, penis length, etc isn’t arbritarily “right” for them, its still training. And even though the leverages arent ideal, we can all admit that we can get strong as hell by training bad leverages.
If I had NO gym and wanted to put on size with bodyweight training, I’d do go for high volume pistols for my leg training. If barbells/dumbells/kettlebells aren’t alternative, this is only the next big thing
Honestly, I’m not that big of a fan of pistols. After a while my form deteriorates and I get this weird feeling around my ACL.
I much prefer goblet squats if you can find a kettlebell or a dumbbell.
Speaking of calisthenics, you can get away with bodyweight only training for upper body size (inferior to weights of course) with a high volume of pullups/dips or supersetting them with rows and pushups but for lower body you need some king of weight, even a single medium sized kettlebell/dumbbell.
Ok, I screwed up. I apologize to @Frank_C for this part about 1-2 reps (not the femur part though)… @jshaving was the dumbshit who said the following about 1-2 reps of pistol squats:
@jshaving said: I used to be able to do 1-2 pistol squats per leg, which isn’t much at all, but yeah, I dont’ really see how they could possibly build much muscle. If you go from being able to not do any, to being able to do a few, your legs may be a bit stronger, but not as much as some type of squat or lunge would’ve made them. Seems like it’s more of a balancing/flexibility trick with a little strength required. Sorta like how overhead squats are a good way to show strength, not build it."
I like pistol squats
I like bulg split squats
I like front squats
I hate doing pistol squats, cause their hard to do! Lifting weights is hard. Waking up at 4:40am everyday and lifting before work is hard, (especially when you don’t take a pic and post on social media about it)… But we do it we don’t make excuses…except for when we DO make excuses. Don’t make excuses. Be honest with yourself about why you’re not doing them.
A fat person can come up with excuses about why they’re fat, and all of us (yes, you too) would berate them for it. (But what if they just said “I’m not willing to eat well, and exercise, I admit that, and that’s why I’m fat”, what an honest person that would be?) It’s THE SAME THING AS YOUR EXCUSE FOR NOT DOING PISTOL SQUATS. They’re Hard? Fuck yes they are hard. Your “not built” for them? Great, that means when you can do 10, it’s like someone else doing 20 or 30. We all have exercises we like to do or don’t do cause they favor us or work against us in other ways.
You can also lean forward, backward, use a band to help with balance etc.
I’m looking for people to be honest about shit, and having the same criticism of themselves that they have of others.
Man I tried to avoid getting into this pistol squat discussion, mostly because it seemed painfully obvious that J’s points were reasonable. But damn, @carbiduis you just don’t quit, lol. But of course that’s been your MO for a long, long time. I can remember exactly the same stubbornness out of you for 5+ years.
Anyway. I think support of the pistol squat as a viable strength training method is borderline absurd for MOST people, for a lot of reasons. The first is something you actually alluded to a couple hours ago: low reps won’t get the job done. And the fact of the matter is, most people can’t do more than a couple reps, if they can do any at all. I’m a 550 lbs squatter, and I can’t perform very many reps. On a bad day, I can’t get any. Mobility and technique are major hindrances for most people, including good athletes sometimes.
I just can’t imagine anyone including pistol squats in their regular programming unless their ultimate goals were very specifically related to its particular benefits. Nobody in this thread has suggested the pistol squat is not a good idea for ANYONE. Of course there are those who can use it and build some muscle. But overloading it is extraordinarily difficult because of the balance issue, and there are much better options out there. If pistol squats were great for building leg size, bodybuilders would do them. If they were great for building strength, powerlifters and strongmen would do them. But neither is the case.
Anyway. Just can’t see why you feel this comment about pistol squats not being right for him is so egregious you can’t let it slide. I can’t even see that it’s incorrect in the first place, lol.
I didn’t say shit about the injury for that reason. I leave injuries alone. In fact, I had to add squat variations after my bulged disc. Is a long femur an injury?
Again, what constitutes a “long femur” ? I’m interested. And how do you measure a Femur? Really interested in that as well.
Part of my point is that something like a “long femur” is not going to make it impossible to do an exercise, just more difficult. So what.
um. that’s not the reason i’m not doing pistol squats… lol. I can guarantee that it would have taken me less training effort to get to be able to do 10 pistol squats than it has to build a 550 squat, a 360 atlas stone lift, a 290 log press, etc. ‘It’s hard’ is very, very low on the list. I like doing hard things that will yield a tangible, substantial training benefit. Pistol squats do not fall into this category.
Don’t forget dignity too. A few months ago a particularly lithe and nimble gymnast was busting out pistol squats while I was working the door. I struggled to do one and felt completely humiliated.
She left with some guy who I’m guessing could do many pistol squats. So long, best legs and ass in the bar…
