If you’re a fan of pistol squats, meet their cousin the skater squat.
If you’re not a fan of pistol squats or they irritate your knees, give the skater squat a try because it’s a little easier and more knee-friendly.
Primary Muscles Targeted
- Glutes
- Quads
- Core
How to Perform the Skater Squat
To start, you may want to hold onto a pole or lightly touch a wall to help with stability. You can also use a pad to decrease the depth. Though eventually you’ll want to work on increasing the depth of the movement by using less or thinner pads.
Shift your weigh onto one foot and brace your core as you bend both knees and reach your back knee behind you. Lower towards the floor, counterbalancing by raising your arms. Make sure to maintain a neutral (straight) spine and push through your front heel to return to standing.
Bodyweight Skater Squat
Kettlebell Skater Squat
Have you tried these before? I recommend doing them as a squat accessory exercise (i.e. after squats or as a leg exercise for strength and stability!).