Squats and lunges
Cossack squat
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- quads · glutes · inner thighs
- Also
- hamstrings · calves · core
The Cossack squat is a deep side-to-side squat: you shift your weight onto one bent leg while the other stays straight with the toes lifted. It builds strength in the quads and glutes through a long range while stretching the inner thigh and asking a lot of your ankles. It suits anyone who wants more hip mobility than a standard squat offers, and it works well as a work movement in a circuit.
Form
How to do cossack squat
- 1Stand with your feet wide, much wider than your shoulders, toes turned slightly out. Hold your hands at your chest or reach them forward for balance.
- 2Shift your weight to one side and bend that knee, sitting your hips back and down as the other leg straightens. Let the straight leg's toes turn up and the heel stay down.
- 3Sink as far as your hips and ankles allow while keeping the heel of the bent leg flat and your chest lifted. Breathe in on the way down.
- 4Drive through the bent leg to push yourself back to the wide standing position, breathing out as you rise.
- 5Repeat on the other side and keep alternating smoothly for the whole effort, spending equal time on each leg.
Watch for
Common mistakes
The heel of the working leg lifts off the floor.
Fix: Take a wider stance and only descend as far as you can while keeping that heel planted.
The chest collapses forward so the back rounds over.
Fix: Sit the hips back rather than folding at the waist, and keep your eyes on a point ahead of you.
Rushing side to side and bouncing out of the bottom.
Fix: Slow the movement down, pause briefly at the lowest point you control, then push back up.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.