My right leg is much stronger than my left leg when I do pistol squats or Bulgarian split squats. I have been doing unilateral exercises right after back squatting to correct those imbalances.
Should I quit barbell squatting and return to it after my imbalances are gone, or is it okay to do them despite the imbalances being there?
I think barbell back squats will even it out over time - just control your legs so you descend/extend at the same time?
I would also continue doing unilateral exercises if you enjoy them.
How much stronger is one leg? Like an extra 20 reps on one side for pistols?
I can do 3 with proper form on my right leg. I can do 1 trashy one on my left.
Dude your max squat is 85lbs. Keep fucking squatting, I doubt you have an actual imbalance, you are probably just more coordinated with your right side.
There was an old strength coach on here named Ian King.
His recommendations were a minimum of 20 pistols per leg before moving on to barbell squats.
You don’t have any grave imbalances, you just need to get stronger over all. Prioritize them by doing these Before you barbell squat, if you choose to continue to bar squat at all.
You can also somewhat remove the balance elements by doing them in a rack and holding on to a catch pin through the sides, or a rope or chain hanging from the top.
That will actually help a lot toward getting the reps in and developing some of the stability and mobility required to squat well.
I have done barbell back squats with a ruptured ACL and torn meniscus in one leg. Did the same after 5 months and 22 days of training only one leg.
You will probably be fine.
I’d rather prioritize the barbell squat and do the pistols or split squats (stick to one for a few weeks/months). Definitely continue to barbell squat - no question about it. Since you can only do 3 pistols on one leg and 1 on the other, I’d prefer the split squats for volume.
That sounds… uncomfortable.
Honestly not bad. Just unstable. Box is helpful to break up the eccentric and concentric.
Thats good. I’m just going along the typical order of priority for rank beginners, stability, mobility, Then strength.
Having not seen him squat and knowing he has no athleticism to speak of, I assume its a safe bet that he requires some basic remedial measures for stability and mobility first.
I could be wrong though.
Obviously I’m just going off of deduction, but I highly doubt you’re imbalanced. Like at all. At least in the way you think you are.
You’re doing body weight stuff. If anything you’re unbalanced concerning body weight stuff. And that happens to damn near everyone, myself included.
I’ll put my foot out, and even go so far as to say it’s normal. Hell, even the shoes you wear can effect your balance concerning body weight stuff. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to just straight up take my shoes off because the cushion in the soles was throwing off a simple body weight squat.
I apologize for the snootiness that’s sprinkled over what I’m about to say, but I don’t think you’re strong enough, to be worrying about “strength imbalances”.
The thing most folks need to look out concerning back squatting are shifting the weight to the pads of the feet, hip shift, under firing hams/glutes, not opening your legs up enough, and that uncomfortable good morning fold. All of which I don’t think you would notice because you haven’t trained the back squat enough to see if that even applies to you. Let alone strength imbalances.
If anything you’re just uncoordinated.
That could be a balance/stability issue rather than amount of force you are able to produce from each leg.
Regardless, I’d hazard a guess and say different force outputs from different limbs is pretty normal.
well. guess I shouldn’t start squatting with a barbell yet…
Does anyone else in here get crazy quad cramps from doing these? I consistently cramp in the leg I’m sticking out (not standing on) when I do pistols, even just 1 or 2 reps. It doesn’t happen if only go 3/4 of the way down. It’s when I descend all the way to the bottomed out position. Very uncomfortable for me.
No quad cramps, but I do feel like my knee cap is going to shoot across the room and get stuck in the drywall.
It may be possible that due to the fact we are left or right brain dominant, I perform better one side than the other. Do you think this could be it?
@SkyzykS 20 on each leg seems like a lot!!!
I think that horse may have already left the barn, hasn’t it?
It seems arbitrary but I actually tried this with an ex gf. It worked really well.
Doing them at the edge of a box helps the cramping. Doesn’t have to be a big “Cube” type box, just something high enough to not have to close your hip like that. We used to use a step stool.
It is, but it isn’t. Its just body weight, right? 
I’ve never really done pistols.
I did them right now, got 11 on each leg before needing to grab something. I’m good on trying to do 20 haha!
I don’t know man. Body weight exercises can get really hard! Have you seen the crazy things gymnasts do?