Intermediate Shrimp Squat
The intermediate shrimp squat is a single-leg squat with the non-working leg bent behind you, taken down until only the trailing knee touches the floor while the toes of that foot stay off it. It works the quadriceps and glutes of the standing leg and is the middle rung of the shrimp squat progression.
Also called: Intermediate Shrimp Squats · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: squat
Step by step
- Stand on one leg and bend the other knee so that foot sits behind you, toes pointing back.
- Keep your chest tall and the whole of the working foot flat on the floor. Hold the trailing ankle or reach the arms forward for balance.
- Sit back and down on the working leg, bringing the trailing knee towards the floor.
- Touch the trailing knee lightly to the floor while keeping the toes of that foot off it.
- Push through the working heel to stand, keeping the working knee over the foot.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch sides.
- Only the back knee touches the floor
- Back toes stay up
- Chest tall, working foot flat
- Working knee over the toes
- Push 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
Rear toes touching down
Fix: Point the back toes up and back so only the knee reaches the floor.
Dropping onto the back knee
Fix: Slow the last few centimetres and touch the knee down lightly.
Working heel lifting
Fix: Keep the whole working foot flat and sit the hips back a little more.
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, 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 intermediate 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.