Cossack Squat 10s · no sound

Cossack Squat

A deep sideways squat on one leg with the other leg extended straight, worked in the frontal plane.

Primary muscle
Adductors, Quads
Equipment
Bodyweight
Difficulty
Intermediate
Movement
Mobility, Squat
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How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet well outside shoulder width and toes pointing forward.
  2. Brace your abdominals and lift your chest tall.
  3. Shift your weight over one leg and bend that knee, sitting the hips back and down.
  4. Keep the other leg straight and let its foot roll onto the heel with the toes up.
  5. Descend only as far as your hips and ankles allow with the loaded heel flat.
  6. Push through the bent leg to return to center, then repeat on the other side.

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back to reach depth, which loads the lumbar spine instead of the hips.
  • Letting the heel of the squatting leg lift, which is an ankle mobility limit, not a strength one.
  • Bending the extended leg, which removes the adductor and hamstring stretch.
  • Rushing the transition between sides, which loses control at the deepest position.

Muscles worked

Primary
AdductorsQuads
Secondary
AbsGlutesHamstrings

Good to know

What muscles does the Cossack Squat work?
Mainly the adductors and quads. It also works the abs, glutes and hamstrings.
What equipment do you need for the Cossack Squat?
None. It is a bodyweight exercise.
Is the Cossack Squat good for beginners?
GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Goblet Squat Prying Hold.

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