Day 67 : Pistol squats are kicking my a$$

Just wanna mention that Pistol squats are my new worst enemy. After todays skips and squats I was dreading the evil PS's. And I had reason to be. My first set proved to be a HUGE challenge - I could feel my knee under strain as I try to shift all my weight onto my bent leg,  whilst keeping my stretched foot off the ground. I discovered that my left leg is way weaker than my right and I really struggled to keep my balance. I decided to switch things up a little and threw in the creeps between my PS sets which really helped ease the pain! I walked away from the leg sets (after eventually completing my PS's red-faced, panting and with big relief!) wondering why i'm struggling so much with these evil one legged squats...?

Did some research and found this pretty interesting :-

Components of a Pistol

The reason that learning to do pistols well is so challenging is because they involve an interplay of several different physical skills, all performed simultaneously. Below are the primary components involved. An inability to perform the pistol is a result of a deficiency, or "weak link" in one or more or these components:

Balance-pistols teach what is referred to in Internal Martial Arts as "rooting", as in the roots of a tree, forming a solid connection to the ground. Because we are shifting the body's center of mass over a narrow base of support, and for an extended range of motion, balance is challenged and trained in a dynamic fashion.

Flexibility-the muscles and joints of the legs, low back, hips and ankles are required to work at the extreme ranges of motion, both in flexion and extension.

Strength-the powerful muscles of the glutes and thighs are moving the body weight throughout a very narrow base of support, thereby recruiting tremendous stabilizer function in all the lower body joints; tension is maintained throughout the eccentric, isometric and concentric portions; the core musculature is recruited to maintain balance and alignment.

Coordination-the neuromuscular system is challenged by the multiple requirements involved in pistol practice-balancing, contracting and stretching.

Focus/Mental attitude-a clear focus and concentration is required to maintain control over the body; fear and restricted movement is overcome by releasing our fear of falling and reintroducing freedom of motion

I guess i'm weak in all of the above components? Need to really work on my mental attitude and not fear them as I know I can master these pistols if i put my mind to it! My thigh and butt muscles are feeling super tight right now, don't wanna imagine what it'll feel like tomorrow morning...

Need to get some beauty sleep now- it's 2.30am and i've just had a great evening chilling at a friends place and she was kind enough to prepare a delicious tofu salad for my dinner, followed by a dash of frozen yoghurt with mixed fruits! 

It's been a tough week and i'm so glad there's no 5.45am wake up call tomorrow - TGIF!

Wishing you all a fantabulous PCP weekend!

Adios xoxo