The term Pistolero was used in the days of the American Old West to describe a formidable gun-fighting man. Pistolero implied someone able to take care of himself, bringing forth in others an emotional melange of awe, fear and respect. Pistolero connoted someone living outside the law, somewhat wild and unorthodox.
And so in the exercise world, where orthodox philosophy holds the squat as king of strength and muscle-building movements--and for good reason! The squat and (arguably) the deadlift are two of the greatest anabolic, mass-gaining exercises ever, blah, blah, blah...BUT... if the squat is king of all bodybuilding exercises, the pistol is emperor of athletic assistance movements.
Why do I assert this? Because while the squat will produce massive gains in muscular size and weight, not everyone wishes to increase these parameters. In other writings, I’ve talked about how as a kid, in my teen years, back in my high school wrestling days, I went from 154 lbs. to 205 lbs. on the old 20-rep heavy breathing squat routine. I’ve also have used at various times,heavy weight/low rep barbell squats; heavy kettlebell front squats, Bulgarian split squats, hack squats, sissy squats, Hindu squats, deck squats and various and sundry lunges, with and without loads. All of these heavy leg and hip exercises can produce worthwhile results but, in my opinion, noneof them come close to the free-standing pistol ...
