Shrimp Squat Guide: Single-Leg Strength and Balance

Master the shrimp squat with our step-by-step guide. Improve unilateral leg strength, knee stability, and balance using only your bodyweight.

How to Perform

  1. Stand with your feet together and shift your weight entirely onto your right leg.
  2. Bend your left knee and reach back to grab your left ankle or foot with your left hand.
  3. Extend your right arm forward to act as a counterbalance as you prepare to descend.
  4. Lower your body slowly by bending your right knee until your left knee lightly touches the floor.
  5. Keep your torso slightly leaned forward but maintain a flat back throughout the eccentric phase.
  6. Drive through the midfoot of your right leg to return to the starting standing position.
  7. Complete the desired repetitions then repeat the process on the opposite leg.

Common Mistakes

  • Allowing the working knee to cave inward during the descent
  • Banging the trailing knee hard against the floor instead of controlled contact
  • Rounding the lower back to compensate for a lack of hip mobility
  • Losing tension in the core which causes the hips to shift laterally

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

  • Quads

Stabilizers

  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Core
  • Anterior Tibialis

Related Guides

Quads · Strength