A Life Changing Squat

**Classes will be closed from Thanksgiving and resume Monday Nov. 26th**

“Gentleman, the back squat will get you strong, the front squat will help, but the single leg squat will change your damn life.” Coach Shannon Turley, now the head of athletic performance at Stanford University, was always known for two things: technical excellence and incredible one liners.

While I was at the University of San Diego, we were graced with both his remarkable coaching and his quotables before he left with Jim Harbaugh for the Stanford Cardinal. What he was semi-jokingly making reference to was what we call the “pistol”. And, he’s not wrong.

At its worst, the pistol can seem like a party trick. At its best, it will change your life. The reason for the bold claim is that the pistol assumes so many things to be true. Exceptional strength? Yup. Functional knee, hip, and ankle mobility? Yup. Balance? Yup. Lastly, if you pay attention, life and sport is largely unilateral. This simply means you often use one arm and/or one leg at a time (SEE: running and walking). The pistol has this edge over the usual bi-lateral squat.

If you’re quick to discard the pistol as a frustrating party trick, consider Coach Turley’s words. He knows what he’s talking about. Let’s change your life!

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach