Pistol Squat with Straight Back?

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]alternate wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:
^request made. [/quote]

Seconded.

Give it to me.[/quote]

OK. Ask and ye shall receive…

IMO, you would’ve been much better off posting such a thread in the conditioning forum. What’s done is done though, so no point in dwelling on it.

You keep changing the parameters of your original question. Gone from asking about neutral spines, to how to make a pistol quad dominant vs. hamstring dominant, to how to make it a posterior chain exercise(?), to discussing back squat form, to justifying posting this in the bodybuilding forum by holding up the vid of Steve Kotter (not a bodybuilder, but a kettlebell/ conditioning coach) doing pistols with extra load - something you seem unwilling to commit yourself to.

You seem to be looking to do anything but add load (which has a host of benefits the unweighted variety doesn’t provide).

In case it seems like I’m being unduly negative, I do pistols myself, but I don’t think they should be the core of a hypertrophy routine, nor do I think the progression should be as difficult or as complicated as you’re making it out to be.

I still think you’d better served lifting weights, even if it’s just adding load to your pistols (Jim Bathurst of Beastskills seems to be doing fine on a combo of pistols and squats).

If, after all that, you’re still hung up on spine alignment, try pistols with your arms raised above your head - it should stop you from being able to round your back.[/quote]

that was a good start…but i expected to be bleeding from a thousands cuts. Na but seriously that was actually like a really critical constructive honest post. I like you

[quote]bignate wrote:

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]alternate wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:
^request made. [/quote]

Seconded.

Give it to me.[/quote]

OK. Ask and ye shall receive…

IMO, you would’ve been much better off posting such a thread in the conditioning forum. What’s done is done though, so no point in dwelling on it.

You keep changing the parameters of your original question. Gone from asking about neutral spines, to how to make a pistol quad dominant vs. hamstring dominant, to how to make it a posterior chain exercise(?), to discussing back squat form, to justifying posting this in the bodybuilding forum by holding up the vid of Steve Kotter (not a bodybuilder, but a kettlebell/ conditioning coach) doing pistols with extra load - something you seem unwilling to commit yourself to.

You seem to be looking to do anything but add load (which has a host of benefits the unweighted variety doesn’t provide).

In case it seems like I’m being unduly negative, I do pistols myself, but I don’t think they should be the core of a hypertrophy routine, nor do I think the progression should be as difficult or as complicated as you’re making it out to be.

I still think you’d better served lifting weights, even if it’s just adding load to your pistols (Jim Bathurst of Beastskills seems to be doing fine on a combo of pistols and squats).

If, after all that, you’re still hung up on spine alignment, try pistols with your arms raised above your head - it should stop you from being able to round your back.[/quote]

that was a good start…but i expected to be bleeding from a thousands cuts. Na but seriously that was actually like a really critical constructive honest post. I like you
[/quote]

Thanks! I realized at the mid-point that post was going to be a rudeness fail. I must have lost my edge. Need to stock up on bath salts…

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]alternate wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:
^request made. [/quote]

Seconded.

Give it to me.[/quote]

OK. Ask and ye shall receive…

IMO, you would’ve been much better off posting such a thread in the conditioning forum. What’s done is done though, so no point in dwelling on it.

You keep changing the parameters of your original question. Gone from asking about neutral spines, to how to make a pistol quad dominant vs. hamstring dominant, to how to make it a posterior chain exercise(?), to discussing back squat form, to justifying posting this in the bodybuilding forum by holding up the vid of Steve Kotter (not a bodybuilder, but a kettlebell/ conditioning coach) doing pistols with extra load - something you seem unwilling to commit yourself to.

You seem to be looking to do anything but add load (which has a host of benefits the unweighted variety doesn’t provide).

In case it seems like I’m being unduly negative, I do pistols myself, but I don’t think they should be the core of a hypertrophy routine, nor do I think the progression should be as difficult or as complicated as you’re making it out to be.

I still think you’d better served lifting weights, even if it’s just adding load to your pistols (Jim Bathurst of Beastskills seems to be doing fine on a combo of pistols and squats).

If, after all that, you’re still hung up on spine alignment, try pistols with your arms raised above your head - it should stop you from being able to round your back.[/quote]

that was a good start…but i expected to be bleeding from a thousands cuts. Na but seriously that was actually like a really critical constructive honest post. I like you
[/quote]

Thanks! I realized at the mid-point that post was going to be a rudeness fail. I must have lost my edge. Need to stock up on bath salts…[/quote]

I’m disappointed. You’re usually way better at tearing through people.

I’m taking my roybot posters off my wall now.

[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]alternate wrote:

[quote]bignate wrote:
^request made. [/quote]

Seconded.

Give it to me.[/quote]

OK. Ask and ye shall receive…

IMO, you would’ve been much better off posting such a thread in the conditioning forum. What’s done is done though, so no point in dwelling on it.

You keep changing the parameters of your original question. Gone from asking about neutral spines, to how to make a pistol quad dominant vs. hamstring dominant, to how to make it a posterior chain exercise(?), to discussing back squat form, to justifying posting this in the bodybuilding forum by holding up the vid of Steve Kotter (not a bodybuilder, but a kettlebell/ conditioning coach) doing pistols with extra load - something you seem unwilling to commit yourself to.

You seem to be looking to do anything but add load (which has a host of benefits the unweighted variety doesn’t provide).

In case it seems like I’m being unduly negative, I do pistols myself, but I don’t think they should be the core of a hypertrophy routine, nor do I think the progression should be as difficult or as complicated as you’re making it out to be.

I still think you’d better served lifting weights, even if it’s just adding load to your pistols (Jim Bathurst of Beastskills seems to be doing fine on a combo of pistols and squats).

If, after all that, you’re still hung up on spine alignment, try pistols with your arms raised above your head - it should stop you from being able to round your back.[/quote]

that was a good start…but i expected to be bleeding from a thousands cuts. Na but seriously that was actually like a really critical constructive honest post. I like you
[/quote]

Thanks! I realized at the mid-point that post was going to be a rudeness fail. I must have lost my edge. Need to stock up on bath salts…[/quote]

I’m disappointed. You’re usually way better at tearing through people.

I’m taking my roybot posters off my wall now. [/quote]

I’ll try not to let you down in future. I need something to work with. There wasn’t enough of an argument.


k, u folks wanted a pic of my so-called ‘quads’ built solely with pansy bodyweight pistol squatting.

I think it’s not too bad considering I’ve never in my life put a barbell on my back - or even done a leg press (and that’s no exaggeration)

fully expecting to be ripped apart - don’t disappoint

Well I’m late to the party, but to answer the question. This guy does it with as straight a back as possible.
Guy named Al Kavadlo. Near the end of the video his last pistol squat has, to be the cleanest pistol squat I’ve ever seen.
You “can” get decent size with pistol squats, but you have to progress to jumping pistol squats on a box or add weight to do that.
Pistol squat at it’s core is an athletic movement. You can put on size with it, by tweaking intensity and volume, but they’re best for performance.

Personally, I can only do straight back pistol squat, with my right leg. I’m not sure if it’s a strength issue or what.
I’ve also just started doing them for the first time in my life, so I have a ways to go.
Props for being able to do 40 straight pistol squats per leg. That’s badass.

Also, I’ve found I felt it more in my hip, when I lean forward a bit more. That’s just a strength imbalance somewhere. Only happens on my left side. My right leg I feel it more in my Glute/quad and lower leg stablizers