Dumbbell Pistol Squat

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Pistol Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Pistol Squat

1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging at your sides.
2. Lift one leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended throughout the movement.
3. Lower your body by bending the knee of your standing leg, keeping your chest up and back straight.
4. Descend until your glutes are close to your heel or your thigh is parallel to the floor, maintaining balance.
5. Push through your heel to return to the starting position, extending your standing leg fully.
6. Complete all reps on one side, then switch legs and repeat for the other side per set.

Form tips

• Start with bodyweight pistol squats to master the movement pattern before adding dumbbells.
• Let the dumbbells hang straight down at your sides and keep your chest up to stay balanced over the working foot.
• Focus on controlling the eccentric (lowering) phase to improve stability and strength.
• Elevate your heel slightly on a small plate if ankle mobility is a limiting factor.

At a glance

Dumbbell Pistol Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat
• Dumbbell Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "dumbbell-pistol-squat",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Pistol Squat",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel-Pistol-Squat",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla Pistola con Mancuerna",
  "description_en": "The Dumbbell Pistol Squat is an advanced single-leg squat variation that builds significant lower body strength, balance, and mobility, primarily targeting the quadriceps and glutes.",
  "description_de": "Der Kurzhantel-Pistol-Squat ist eine fortgeschrittene einbeinige Kniebeugen-Variante, die erhebliche Unterkörperkraft, Gleichgewicht und Beweglichkeit aufbaut, hauptsächlich für Quadrizeps und Gesäßmuskulatur.",
  "description_es": "La Sentadilla Pistola con Mancuerna es una variación avanzada de sentadilla a una pierna que desarrolla fuerza significativa en la parte inferior del cuerpo, equilibrio y movilidad, apuntando principalmente a los cuádriceps y glúteos.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "strength",
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging at your sides.",
    "Lift one leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended throughout the movement.",
    "Lower your body by bending the knee of your standing leg, keeping your chest up and back straight.",
    "Descend until your glutes are close to your heel or your thigh is parallel to the floor, maintaining balance.",
    "Push through your heel to return to the starting position, extending your standing leg fully.",
    "Complete all reps on one side, then switch legs and repeat for the other side per set."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe aufrecht und halte in jeder Hand eine Kurzhantel, die Arme hängen seitlich am Körper.",
    "Hebe ein Bein gerade nach vorne an und halte es während der gesamten Bewegung gestreckt.",
    "Senke deinen Körper, indem du das Knie deines Standbeins beugst, Brust oben und Rücken gerade halten.",
    "Gehe so tief, bis dein Gesäß nahe an deiner Ferse ist oder dein Oberschenkel parallel zum Boden ist, und halte das Gleichgewicht.",
    "Drücke dich durch die Ferse zurück in die Ausgangsposition und strecke dein Standbein vollständig.",
    "Absolviere alle Wiederholungen auf einer Seite, wechsle dann das Bein und wiederhole pro Satz für die andere Seite."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie, sosteniendo una mancuerna en cada mano con los brazos colgando a los lados.",
    "Levanta una pierna recta hacia adelante, manteniéndola extendida durante todo el movimiento.",
    "Baja tu cuerpo doblando la rodilla de tu pierna de apoyo, manteniendo el pecho erguido y la espalda recta.",
    "Desciende hasta que tus glúteos estén cerca de tu talón o tu muslo esté paralelo al suelo, manteniendo el equilibrio.",
    "Empuja a través de tu talón para volver a la posición inicial, extendiendo completamente tu pierna de apoyo.",
    "Completa todas las repeticiones de un lado, luego cambia de pierna y repite para el otro lado por serie."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Start with bodyweight pistol squats to master the movement pattern before adding dumbbells.",
    "Let the dumbbells hang straight down at your sides and keep your chest up to stay balanced over the working foot.",
    "Focus on controlling the eccentric (lowering) phase to improve stability and strength.",
    "Elevate your heel slightly on a small plate if ankle mobility is a limiting factor."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Beginne mit Pistol Squats ohne Gewicht, um das Bewegungsmuster zu beherrschen, bevor du Kurzhanteln hinzunimmst.",
    "Lass die Kurzhanteln seitlich gerade nach unten hängen und halte die Brust aufrecht, um über dem Arbeitsfuß im Gleichgewicht zu bleiben.",
    "Konzentriere dich auf die kontrollierte exzentrische (absenkende) Phase, um Stabilität und Kraft zu verbessern.",
    "Erhöhe die Ferse leicht auf einer kleinen Scheibe, falls die Sprunggelenksbeweglichkeit ein limitierender Faktor ist."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Empieza con sentadillas pistola sin peso para dominar el patrón de movimiento antes de añadir mancuernas.",
    "Deja que las mancuernas cuelguen rectas a los lados y mantén el pecho erguido para conservar el equilibrio sobre el pie que trabaja.",
    "Concéntrate en controlar la fase excéntrica (de descenso) para mejorar la estabilidad y la fuerza.",
    "Eleva ligeramente el talón sobre un disco pequeño si la movilidad del tobillo es un factor limitante."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/dumbbell-pistol-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/dumbbell-pistol-squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "dumbbell-pistol-squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.