Alternative to pistol squats

[Billy-Hunt]

I’ll try to get to the point

Started Operator Black 12 months ago using barbells with 2-3 HIC a week (mainly ME 2/Fast 5k/combat conditioning/Fobbit)

Owing to change in circumstances 6 months ago no longer have access to gym therefore conditioned HIC but altered strength to body weight training (pull ups/press ups/dips)

Have recently noticed the odd twinge in legs/knees that I never experienced whilst BB squating and generally felt weaker lower body

Decided to run fighter program using pull ups/assisted one arm press up/assisted pistols

Found pistols left me with sore knees rather than feeling they were addressing weakness in lower body

Question - realistically without access to BB what exercise can I do for legs to address strength imbalance

I have a 10 kg weighted vest and 16 kg KB and rings hung from a beam to train with

Any guidance would be appreciated thank you

[rs12]

You could make a sled out of a tire and some rope and drag it forward and backward. You could do lunges, goblet squats and jumps with your kb and weight vest. Bulgarian split squats with the weight vest and kettlebell will work your legs fairly well. Kettlebell swings are great but your kettlebell is too light for strength work.

You could also make or buy a heavy sandbag and bear hug it then squat or you could clean it or shoulder it. Picking up heavy stones or kegs can work your legs. Step ups with a heavy load or floor nordic hamstring curls are good too.

You just have to be creative. It won't be the same as BB squatting. You just can't load any of those movements as much as you can a BB squat but they are better than nothing. If you can buy a trap bar and some weight you'll be better off because trap bar deadlifts work everything and you don't need a squat rack.

[Oscar]

If I had only access to your tools I would try:

- hill sprints on one of the HIC days
- learning to snatch the 16 kg kettlebell. Even though is a light weight, snatching it for sets of 20 is a decent workout.
- maybe slow 1 leg deadlift with the 16 kg.
-skater squats - shrimp squats.
- box pistol squats. In this variation the knee flexion is limited, so they might not bother your knees as much. You can even hold your 16 in front of you, either as a counter-balance to help you, or closer to your body to add resistance.
- plyometrics of some kind.
- if you buy a 24 kg kettlebell you can get very strong on your way to snatching it 200 times in 10 minutes.
- Or buy a 32 kg for 2 hand swings and eventually 1 hand swings.

[Billy-Hunt]

Thank you I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question, I can see a bit more clearly now what reasonable adaptions I can make

Going forward immediately I will do the following:

For my 3 conditioning days:
1. Fast 5 k
2. Short hills x 10 (there is a short hill that would take 10-15 secs to run up on the way in/out of work I can use my vest if/when I adapt )
3. Meateater 2 if I buy a 24 kg KB this will really push me on the one arm swings and hopefully there will be some carry over strength wise/possibly use the vest too for burpees

On my two strength days using the fighter program:
L-sit chin ups
Assisted one arm push ups
Bulgarian split squat using to start with my 16 kg KB and weighted vest (working up to 24 kg KB)
Then I was thinking about adding some sets of KB snatches (I will start with 16 kg I’m not sure if 20 is achievable but it gives me something to aim for and when it becomes comfortable use the heavier KB)

Hopefully this should start to address the strength imbalance and I won’t get as many little niggles

I think long term I’ll have to save up for a trap bar and some weight but there’s plenty to go at there for a good while before I adapt