Beginner Shrimp Squat
The beginner shrimp squat is a single-leg squat in which the non-working leg is bent behind you and you descend until the knee and toes of that trailing leg reach the floor together. It works the quadriceps and glutes of the standing leg and is the first rung of the shrimp squat progression.
Also called: Beginner Shrimp Squats, Shrimp Squat · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: squat
Step by step
- Stand on one leg and bend the other knee so that foot sits behind you. Hold the trailing ankle with the same-side hand if that helps your balance.
- Keep your chest up and the whole of the working foot flat on the floor.
- Sit back and down on the working leg, letting the trailing knee travel towards the floor.
- Descend slowly until the trailing knee and the toes of the trailing foot touch the floor at the same time.
- Drive through the working heel to stand back up, keeping the working knee over the foot.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch sides.
- Knee and toes touch down together
- Chest up, working foot flat
- Working knee tracks over the toes
- Place the back knee, never drop it
- Drive 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 |
| Adductors | Secondary | C |
| Gluteus medius/minimus | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Dropping onto the back knee
Fix: Slow the last few centimetres and place the back knee down.
Working heel lifting
Fix: Keep the whole working foot flat and sit the hips back a little more.
Toes landing first and taking the weight
Fix: Let the back knee and toes touch at the same moment, with no push.
Working knee caving in
Fix: Push the working knee out over your toes as you rise.
Torso folding forward
Fix: Keep your chest up and reach the free arm forward to counterbalance.
What the research says
Muscle growthGeneral fitness
- 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, which is how bodyweight exercises are commonly trained. Start Bodyweight uses 3 sets of 4–8 reps, moving on at 3 sets of 8.
- 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 beginner 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.