Goblet Squat

Muscles worked

Quadriceps

Primary muscle

Vastus medialis

Equipment

Dumbbell

Movement pattern

Lower body

Difficulty

Intermediate

What it is for

StrengthHypertrophy

Watch the full tutorial

• Holding the dumbbell away from the chest. The further it drifts, the more leverage it puts on the upper back and the sooner the arms tire before the legs. Keep it against the sternum with the elbows pointing down.
• Leaning the torso forward to gain depth. The weight pulls the chest down and the upper back rounds. Keep the chest tall; if depth is not there, widen the stance or raise the heels on a plate.
• Lifting the heels at the bottom. The weight shifts to the toes, the knees drift forward and you lose the base to push from. Spread the weight across the whole foot; if the ankle will not allow it, raise the heel slightly.
• Letting the knees cave on the way up. A sign the gluteus medius cannot hold the alignment with that load. Drive the knees out, in line with the feet, and use the elbows as a stop inside them at the bottom.

Which muscles does the goblet squat work?

The main muscles are the quads, which extend the knee, and the gluteus maximus, which extends the hip on the way up; the adductors assist from the bottom position. Because the dumbbell sits in front, the abs and spinal erectors work isometrically so the torso does not fold, and the traps, shoulders and arms hold the load against the chest. In a deep squat, the glutes and adductors take on a bigger share.

Goblet squat with a dumbbell or a kettlebell: which one should you pick?

With a kettlebell you hold it by the horns and the bell rests against the sternum, so the weight stays close to the body and the position is more comfortable. With a dumbbell you hold it vertically by the top plate, the hands sit wider and the forearms work harder, but in many gyms dumbbells go heavier and in smaller jumps. Use whichever you have; as the load climbs, the dumbbell is usually what lets you keep progressing.

How many sets and reps of the goblet squat should you do?

A common starting point is 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps, leaving 1 to 3 reps in reserve, with a two-second descent. For a beginner it can be the main squat of the session; for an advanced lifter it works as a warm-up before the barbell squat or as a high-rep exercise at the end. When holding the dumbbell is harder than the squat itself, it is time to move to the barbell or the leg press.

How low should you go in the goblet squat and where should the feet be?

Set the feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, toes turned out a little, and go as low as you can with the heels down and the back neutral: usually with the thighs below horizontal. A useful reference is the elbows touching the inside of the knees at the bottom. If getting there means rounding the back or lifting the heels, widen the stance or put a plate under the heels.