Goblet Cossack Squat — deep hold
Adductor and hip length under load, held in the deepest position — the shape a cut or a lunge actually asks for
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Stand with the feet wide, about twice shoulder width, toes turned slightly out, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell at the chest.
The rep
Shift your weight to one side and sit down into that hip over five seconds, bending that knee fully while the other leg straightens with its heel on the floor and toes pointing up. Keep the chest tall behind the weight. Hold at the bottom for twenty-five seconds, breathing and letting the weight draw you a little deeper with each breath out. Stand up, then hold the other side.
On the exercise card
- Sit into the bent hip and stay there
- Straight leg's heel stays down
- Let the weight pull you deeper as you breathe
- Tempo
- 5s to lower
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The straight leg's heel lifting | Keep it down. If it will not stay, do not go as deep. |
| Rounding forward to get lower | Chest tall behind the weight. Depth comes from the hip, not from folding the back. |
| Bouncing at the bottom | Hold still and let the breathing take you deeper. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Hold a post or doorframe for balance, or sit down onto a box under the bent hip.
- Harder
- A heavier weight, or moving slowly from side to side through the bottom without standing up.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It is the shape of a cut or a deep lunge: one hip deeply bent, the other leg long. Rugby union, general fitness and bodybuilding all hold it in the prehab block, putting strength into the adductors and the hip at the length a sidestep asks for.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby Union | Power & Contact | 2 × 25s/side | KB / DB |
| General Fitness | Full Body A | 2 × 25s/side | KB / DB |
| Bodybuilding | Legs — Quads, Hams, Glutes, Calves | 2 × 25s/side | KB / DB |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Lower body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- rugby union · general fitness · bodybuilding
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Back Squat | Max lower-body strength under the bar |
| Front Squat | More upright — quad + core emphasis, great for cleans/sprinters |
| Goblet Squat | Easy to load, joint-friendly, great depth |
| Box Squat | Controls depth, easier on the knees, builds drive out of the hole |
| Pause Back Squat | 2s pause at the bottom — kills the bounce, real strength out of the hole for collisions |
| Tempo Front Squat | 3s down — quad eccentric for jumpers + sprinters |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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