Shrimp Squat Exercise Guide 2025 | Build Balance and Strength with MyFitnessCoach

Primary Muscles Worked

The shrimp squat is not just a leg workout. It’s a full lower body and core exercise that builds strength in multiple muscle groups, including:

• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Hip flexors
• Calves
• Core muscles

Because you rely solely on bodyweight, it also develops stabiliser muscles that machines and basic squats often ignore.

Benefits of the Shrimp Squat

The shrimp squat is an advanced exercise that delivers multiple benefits:

1. Improves Leg Strength and Endurance

By focusing on one leg at a time, the shrimp squat increases muscle activation and develops balanced strength in both legs.

2. Enhances Mobility and Flexibility

The deep range of motion strengthens your joints and improves flexibility in your hips, knees, and ankles.

3. Builds Better Balance and Coordination

Because this exercise requires body control, it helps improve stability, proprioception, and balance — essential for athletes and daily movement.

4. Prevents Muscle Imbalance

Traditional squats often allow your stronger leg to dominate. Single-leg movements like the shrimp squat correct this by isolating each leg.

5. Supports Prehab and Rehab Goals

Shrimp squats strengthen the stabilising muscles around your knee and ankle, reducing the risk of injury. This makes it a great choice for rehab and prehab training programs, especially when guided properly — which you can easily access in MyFitnessCoach.

How to Do a Shrimp Squat (Step-by-Step Guide)

Here’s how to perform a shrimp squat safely and effectively:

1. Stand Tall – Keep your feet hip-width apart and maintain an upright posture.
2. Hold One Foot – Reach behind you and hold your ankle or foot with one hand.
3. Engage Your Core – Tighten your core to maintain stability throughout the movement.
4. Lower Your Body Slowly – Bend the standing leg and lower your hips toward the floor while keeping your chest upright.
5. Touch Your Knee Lightly – Let the knee of your back leg lightly touch the ground, then push yourself back up to standing.
6. Repeat on the Other Side – Switch legs to ensure balanced strength and flexibility.

If you’re a beginner, start with support — use a chair or wall to help balance and gradually build the strength needed to perform it freely.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even advanced athletes struggle with the shrimp squat. Avoid these common mistakes to protect your joints and ensure progress:

• Losing balance – Keep your core tight and move slowly.
• Rounding the back – Maintain an upright posture for proper alignment.
• Dropping too fast – Control your descent to reduce joint strain.
• Neglecting warm-ups – Always prepare your knees and hips with mobility drills.

With structured mobility workouts and guided progressions available in the MyFitnessCoach app, you can master the shrimp squat safely at your own pace.

Shrimp Squat Progressions for Beginners

If you’re not ready for the full shrimp squat, start with these easier progressions:

1. Assisted Shrimp Squat

Hold onto a support like a chair or wall to maintain balance as you lower yourself.

2. Partial Range Shrimp Squat

Go halfway down and come back up. Gradually increase your range of motion as you get stronger.

3. Elevated Shrimp Squat

Place your back foot on a low surface and practice the movement for more control.

4. Pistol Squat Preparation

Use shrimp squats to develop the leg strength needed for other advanced moves like pistol squats.

All these variations and progressions are part of guided mobility and strength programs in MyFitnessCoach, allowing you to build strength safely without overloading your joints.

Why MyFitnessCoach is the Perfect App for Shrimp Squat Training

If you’re serious about mastering the shrimp squat or improving your lower body strength, MyFitnessCoach is the all-in-one solution for you.

The app includes Rehab, Prehab, and Mobility Workouts that target stability, strength, and flexibility, the three pillars needed for shrimp squat mastery.

Key Features that Support Shrimp Squat Progress:

• Mobility Workouts: Improve your ankle, knee, and hip mobility for deeper squats.
• Prehab Workouts: Build joint stability and prevent injuries.
• Rehab Programs: Strengthen weak areas after injury recovery.
• Workout Logger: Track your workouts and see progress over time.
• AI Diet Insights: Get personalised food recommendations to support muscle recovery.
• Step Tracking & Rewards: Stay active daily and earn rewards through the 10K Steps Challenge.

With MyFitnessCoach, you can combine functional training, mobility work, and nutrition tracking — all in one powerful fitness app.

How Shrimp Squats Fit into a Full Workout Routine

The shrimp squat is a great addition to your leg day or calisthenics routine. You can combine it with these exercises for a complete lower body workout:

• Lunges
• Step-ups
• Glute bridges
• Bulgarian split squats
• Calf raises

Aim for 3 sets of 6 to 10 shrimp squats per leg, depending on your level. As you get stronger, increase reps or add tempo variations for more challenge.

Tips to Improve Your Shrimp Squat Form

• Warm up properly with dynamic stretches.
• Strengthen your quads, glutes, and core.
• Practice balance exercises like single-leg stands.
• Record your form using the MyFitnessCoach workout logger to track progress.
• Don’t rush — slow, controlled movements build better strength.

Consistency is key. With guided training plans available in MyFitnessCoach, you can make progress faster while avoiding plateaus.

The Science Behind Shrimp Squats

The shrimp squat works on the principle of unilateral training, training one side of the body at a time. Studies show that single-leg exercises improve muscle symmetry, coordination, and joint stability better than bilateral movements.

Additionally, they enhance athletic performance and reduce injury risk by strengthening stabilizers around the knee and hip. That’s why shrimp squats are often included in prehab and rehab programs, both of which are core features of the MyFitnessCoach App.

Why You Should Add Shrimp Squats to Your Routine

If you’re training for balance, strength, or functional movement, shrimp squats deserve a place in your plan. They don’t require equipment, can be done anywhere, and improve both performance and control.

For the best results, pair shrimp squats with proper recovery, nutrition, and consistent tracking, all of which you can easily manage through MyFitnessCoach.

Conclusion

The shrimp squat is a true test of strength, flexibility, and balance. It might look intimidating, but with the right progression and mobility work, anyone can master it. The secret is patience, control, and proper guidance.

With the MyFitnessCoach App, you can access guided mobility workouts, prehab and rehab routines, AI diet insights, and step tracking, everything you need to make steady progress.

If you want to build strong legs, prevent injuries, and move better than ever before, download MyFitnessCoach today and start your journey toward mastering the shrimp squat.