Shrimp Squat

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

Holding the back foot behind you removes the counterweight a pistol squat gives you, so the ankle has to do what the outstretched leg used to do.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Ankle range is the gate): Without enough dorsiflexion the heel lifts before depth is reached — the most common early failure, and not a strength one.
During the rep (No counterweight out front): With the rear leg held behind, the torso must fold over the standing thigh to keep the centre of mass over the foot.
At the bottom (Depth fixed by floor contact): The rear knee touching the floor defines the endpoint, so range cannot be quietly shortened as fatigue arrives.
Months later (Range earned, then strength): Assisted versions and a heel wedge keep the pattern trainable while dorsiflexion range catches up.

Muscles trained

Primary: glutes, quads
Secondary: adductors, hip abductors, hamstrings

Intensity

8 METs (Calisthenics (e.g., push ups, sit ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks), vigorous effort).

Time to effect

Weeks: Early attempts usually stall at the ankle: most people can't drop their back knee toward the floor without their front heel lifting, so the first few weeks are largely about earning that ankle range before strength becomes the limiter.
Months: With 2 to 3 months of consistent ankle and quad work, the depth and control needed to touch the back knee down and stand back up on one leg becomes achievable for most people who couldn't manage it initially.

Related supplements

Common myth

"The shrimp squat is just a harder-looking version of the pistol squat." In reality: It's a genuinely different demand. Because the rear foot is held up and back rather than extended forward, your front ankle has to dorsiflex much further to reach depth, and your quad works through a longer, more folded range of motion. Many lifters who can do a pistol squat still can't do a shrimp squat, and vice versa, because the limiting joint is different.