Shrimp Squat
What Is the Shrimp Squat?
Shrimp Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and also engages the glutes, adductors and calves, with the core working to keep the torso steady. It is an advanced-level movement that builds single-leg strength, balance and knee control using nothing but body weight.
The defining detail is the rear leg. You bend it behind you and hold the foot with the same-side hand, reach the other arm forward for counterbalance, and squat on the standing leg until the rear knee lightly touches the floor. The Skater Squat uses the same squat to the floor but leaves the rear leg free, so holding the foot is what makes this the shrimp squat. That hold takes away the free leg as a counterweight and keeps the rear knee tightly bent, which makes the shrimp squat the harder of the two and asks for quad and hip flexor flexibility on the held leg.
Compared with the Pistol Squat, the shrimp squat puts the free leg behind you rather than out in front, so it does not depend on hamstring flexibility to hold a straight leg off the floor. The standing knee travels further forward over the toes, which makes the movement more knee dominant and places most of the work on the quads, while the glutes and adductors help drive you out of the bottom. It is a staple of bodyweight leg progressions and a useful main lift when no barbell is available, usually done early in a lower-body session for low reps per leg.
The shrimp squat suits experienced trainees, calisthenics athletes and field-sport athletes who want hard single-leg work without equipment. If you cannot yet reach the floor with control, build up through the Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat, the Single-Leg Box Squat and the skater squat, or place a pad under the rear knee to shorten the range. Once full reps are easy, stand on a low platform to deepen the range or hold a dumbbell in the free hand.
Muscles Worked
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Gluteus Medius
- Medium
- Soleus
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand on one leg with the standing foot flat and pointing forward.
- Bend the other knee and bring that foot up behind you, then grab it with the same-side hand and hold it close to your glute.
- Reach the opposite arm straight forward at shoulder height for balance.
- Brace your core and keep your chest up.
- Bend the standing knee and hip together, letting the knee travel forward over your toes as your torso leans slightly forward.
- Lower slowly until the rear knee lightly touches the floor just behind the standing heel, keeping that heel flat.
- Drive through the whole standing foot to stand back up, keeping the knee in line with your toes and the rear foot held throughout.
- Finish your reps, then switch legs.
Common Mistakes
Knee caving inward
Letting the standing knee collapse toward the midline shifts stress onto the knee joint instead of keeping it lined up over the toes.
Dropping onto the rear knee
Falling through the last part of the descent slams the rear knee into the floor and gives up control in the deepest, hardest range.
Bouncing off the floor
Using the rear knee's contact with the floor as a springboard takes the work away from the standing leg.
Heel lifting
Rising onto the ball of the standing foot pushes more load onto the knee and makes balance harder, often because ankle mobility is limited.
Folding the chest over the thigh
Leaning far forward to reach the floor turns the rep into a hip hinge and usually means the depth is beyond your current strength.
Arching the lower back
Pulling the held foot up and back too hard tips the pelvis forward and arches the lower back instead of keeping the trunk braced.
Injuries
Shrimp Squat is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It uses only body weight, but it takes one knee into deep flexion under the full load of the body, and the rear knee meets the floor at the bottom of every rep.
The front of the standing knee takes the most stress, especially when the knee caves inward or the descent turns into a drop. The rear knee can be bruised by landing hard on a bare floor, and the held leg's quads and hip flexors are stretched hard at the bottom, which some people feel as a cramp or a pull at the front of the hip. Limited ankle mobility shows up as the standing heel lifting, which shifts more load onto the knee.
Lower slowly, keep the standing knee tracking over the middle toes, and place a folded mat or pad under the rear knee until you can touch down softly every time. Warm up the hips, quads and ankles first, and stop the set when your balance or knee alignment starts to slip. To regress, hold a doorframe or rail with the free hand, raise the pad under the rear knee, or switch to the Skater Squat or the Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat. Progress by standing on a low platform or holding a light weight in the free hand only once full-depth reps are controlled.
Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the knee, hip or ankle, pain in the rear knee that a pad does not fix, or knee pain that lingers after the session. Anyone with a current knee injury or patellar tendon pain should check with a qualified professional before training this depth on one leg.
- Primary Focus
- Quads
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between a shrimp squat and a skater squat?
In the shrimp squat you hold the rear foot behind you with the same-side hand, while the Skater Squat leaves the rear leg free and bent behind you. Both lower the rear knee toward the floor, but holding the foot removes the free leg as a counterweight, so the shrimp squat is the harder of the two.
- Q: Is the shrimp squat harder than the pistol squat?
It depends on the person. The Pistol Squat needs hamstring flexibility and hip flexor strength to hold a straight leg out in front, while the shrimp squat needs more forward knee travel and quad strength, so many people manage one well before the other.
- Q: Which hand should hold the rear foot?
Hold the rear foot with the same-side hand and reach the opposite arm forward for balance. Some coaches teach an opposite-hand grip, but the same-side hold is the standard version.
- Q: Does the rear knee have to touch the floor?
A light touch of the rear knee marks full depth, but it should only brush the floor, never take your weight. If you cannot reach it with control yet, touch down on a folded mat or pad and lower its height over time.
- Q: How can I make the shrimp squat harder?
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in the free hand, or stand on a low platform so the rear knee travels below the level of the standing foot. Holding the rear foot with both hands is the most demanding version, because neither arm can counterbalance.