Advanced Shrimp Squat
The advanced shrimp squat is a single-leg squat in which you hold the trailing foot behind you with your hands for the whole rep and descend until only that knee touches the floor. It works the quadriceps and glutes of the standing leg under a high balance demand and is the hardest rung of the shrimp squat progression.
Also called: Shrimp Squat, Advanced Shrimp Squats · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: squat
Step by step
- Stand on one leg, bend the other knee and reach behind to hold the trailing foot with your hands.
- Keep hold of the foot for the whole rep, so your arms are out of play for balance.
- Keep your chest up and the whole of the working foot flat on the floor.
- Sit back and down on the working leg until the trailing knee touches the floor lightly.
- Stand back up through the working heel without letting go of the foot.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch sides.
- Hold the back foot the whole rep
- Chest up, working foot flat
- Touch the back knee down lightly
- Working knee tracks over the toes
- Stand tall through the working heel
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Quadriceps: vastus lateralis | Prime mover | C |
| Quadriceps: vastus medialis | Prime mover | C |
| Gluteus maximus | Prime mover | C |
| Quadriceps: rectus femoris | Secondary | C |
| Gluteus medius/minimus | Stabiliser | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Letting go of the foot to catch balance
Fix: Keep hold of the foot and slow the descent until balance is steady.
Dropping onto the back knee
Fix: Slow the last few centimetres and touch the knee down lightly.
Torso folding forward
Fix: Keep your chest up and let the hips travel straight down.
Working knee caving in
Fix: Push the working knee out over your toes as you rise.
What the research says
Muscle growthSport performance
- Depth — A 10-week trial found full-depth squats grew the glutes and inner thighs more than half-depth squats, with similar growth in the quadriceps.
- Range of motion — A systematic review found full range of motion gave a leg-muscle growth advantage over partial range.
- Reps and effort — Research on the repetition continuum finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets finish close to failure. Start Bodyweight uses 3 sets of 4–8 reps per rung.
- Single-leg training — A meta-analysis found single-leg training carried over best to single-leg performance, while two-leg training carried over best to two-leg strength.
Log the advanced shrimp squat in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.