Keep your upper body straight. Simply stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and bend your legs until your thighs are almost, but not completely, parallel to the ground. Allow at least one day of rest between squat workouts. Even if you are strong enough to do a pistol squat at first, the connective tissue in your knees can take time to adapt to the point where it can safely handle the exercise. Although the squat requires repetitive bending of the knees, the exercise is modified to protect the delicate joints of those with bad knees. They are difficult for me to maintain control. It’s fairly long, but if you want to read it for yourself you can find it here. Although many of us have heard that squats harm knees, the exercise is actually “quite good for the knees, if you do the squats correctly,” Dr. Hart says. Are Pistol Squats Dangerous? Pistol squats aren't easy. 5 years ago. The main issue with the pistol squat? Pistol Progressions. Do them well requires high levels of balance, coordination, core stability, and single-leg strength. A subscriber sent me this article by Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. talking about how pistol squats are bad for you, and asked my thoughts on it. If you don’t want to read it, or just as a quick recap anywhere, here is what Dr. Seedman is saying. If squats are still painful, a modification can help build strength and balance. I perfer sprints and broad jumps for body weight leg development. Check with your doctor first, and be sure to use proper form with safety modifications. I feel a surge in my quads when going up like nothing else, but pistol squats are really awqward for me as far as balance and the knee being so from the feet at the bottom. This, just do them to a box. Likewise, running headfirst through drywall isn't easy. If you are one of those people, do not throw squats out of your exercise rotation.

Start seated in a chair. At a height of as low as you can go without pain. If you experience any pain in your knee during this exercise, you would be best advised to switch to a less-difficult variation. It takes strength, speed, and an iron neck. Neither are worth doing.