Advanced Shrimp Squat
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
HOW TO PERFORM
- Grip the foot: Stand on one leg and grab the ankle of your non-working leg behind you with both hands, pulling your heel tight against your glutes in a deep quad stretch.
- Control the descent: Slowly lower your back knee down until it lightly taps the floor or a small cushion, leaning your torso forward slightly to act as a counterbalance.
- Drive upward: Press firmly through the midfoot and heel of your working leg to extend the knee and hip, returning smoothly to the starting standing position.
- Advanced Progressions:
- Deficit / Elevated Shrimp Squat: Stand on an elevated block or deficit platform with your working foot to increase your range of motion and make the bottom position significantly harder.
- Weighted Shrimp Squat: Wear a weighted vest or hold dumbbells to add extra resistance once you master the bodyweight version.
FORM TIPS
- The rungs differ in what your arms do. Beginner holds the rear foot with the same-side hand and reaches forward; intermediate holds it with both hands behind the back; advanced starts from a full kneel with no forward reach at all.
- Put a pad under the back knee. Touching it should be light, never a landing.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Quads
- Glutes
Secondary
- Adductors
- Abs
- Lower Back
- Hamstrings
- Obliques
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.