In this article, I discuss how to do a goblet squat. The goblet squat is a great full-body exercise that builds muscle (especially the legs, core, and glutes) and develops cardiovascular fitness. Exercisers of all levels can use this movement as a solid warm-up during a lower body workout or as a way to progress to a weighted front squat using a barbell.
Like all squats, the goblet squat targets all the major muscle groups in the lower body in a compound manner. This translates nicely to everyday functional movements, as it mimics the squat used to pick something up from the bottom shelf at the grocery store, get up from a chair, or get out of bed in the morning.
How to Do a Goblet Squat
You don't need much to get started with the goblet squat—just use a kettlebell or a dumbbell and enough space to stand and move comfortably with your feet roughly hip- to shoulder-distance apart.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, your toes angled slightly outward.
- Hold a kettlebell in both hands at your chest, gripping the handles as though you were cupping a goblet—one hand on either side of the handles. Bend your elbows, so the goblet is positioned right at the center of your chest.
- Warm up by using a lighter (or no) kettlebell to get a sense of the movement. Then, progress to a heavier weight for your full set.
- Engage your core and look straight ahead—you want to keep your back neutrally aligned and your eyes facing straight forward throughout the squat.
- Press your hips back and begin bending your knees to perform the squat. Inhale as you perform this downward phase.
- Keep the kettlebell close to your body during the movement.
- Focus on keeping your chest tall as you continue pressing your hips back and lowering down. The goal is to get your hips below parallel with your knees.
- Make sure your weight remains evenly distributed across your feet or slightly more weighted toward your heels—you shouldn't come up on your toes as you squat.
- Check your position at the bottom of the squat—your elbows should be positioned on the inside of either knee at the lowest point. This helps ensure that your knees remain aligned with your toes as you move into the deep squat position.
- Press through your heels and reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Exhale as you rise and press your hips forward at the top of the squat to engage your glutes more fully.
- Complete a full set and carefully rack the kettlebell. Always avoid dropping weights from a height. Repeat through as many sets as desired.
Benefits of Goblet Squats
One of the best things about goblet squats is that you move through a full range of motion and avoid common beginner mistakes, such as leaning too far forward or bending your knees inward. This is a great beginner-level progression to an air squat because it can help beginners build resistance to the exercise while also perfecting their squat form.
The goblet squat works all the major muscle groups in the lower body, including the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It also engages your back, arms, and even to a lesser extent, the core and erector spinae of your shoulders and upper back, as you need to actively engage them to help keep your chest and torso tall throughout the movement.1 Essentially, it’s a full-body exercise.
Because the kettlebell is held in front of your body, this exercise engages your quadriceps a bit more than squat variations where the resistance is carried behind your body, such as in the back squat. If you want to build extra strength in your quadriceps while doing a total-body move, the goblet squat is a good option.
Prevents exercise injuries
One of the biggest benefits of the goblet squat is that it helps improve your squat form, which helps prevent injury. While almost everyone is familiar with basic squat form, people often make mistakes that can lead to low back or knee injuries.
Because you are holding the weight in front of your body, you become more aware of the importance of keeping your torso long and engaging your core as you move through the squat. When they start to squat, many people start to lean forward from the hips, their chests toward the ground, and their backs begin to compromise their neutral position.
Holding resistance in front of your body during the goblet squat focuses on rolling your shoulders back, engaging your core, and keeping your torso straight to prevent being pulled forward or unbalanced by the weight of the kettlebell.
Prevents Knee Pain When Squatting
The goal of the exercise is to have your elbows touch the inside of your knees at the bottom of the goblet squat, so this squat variation encourages proper alignment of your knees with your toes.
It is common for people's knees to angle slightly inward when squatting, which is called "knee valgus." This misalignment often becomes more apparent at the bottom of the squat as you move from the downward (eccentric) portion of the exercise to the upward (centric) portion.
This improper knee alignment increases your chances of experiencing knee pain or potential injury because more stress is placed on the inside of the knee as it moves through a full range of motion.
Even if your knees are still angled slightly inward at the bottom, your elbow placement gives you an opportunity to check your form and make sure your knees are tracking properly before you transition to the upward portion of the exercise and return to standing. This helps reduce the likelihood that your knees "collapse" inward during this transition, ultimately guarding you against potential pain or injury.
Improves Jumping Performance
A study in the Journal of Sport Science and Medicine found that squatting with an increased load, such as holding a kettlebell in a goblet squat, improves jumping performance.4 Working the muscles in the quads and glutes contributes to your jumping ability, and the goblet squat effectively works both of these muscle groups.
Other variations of the goblet squat
There are multiple ways to modify this exercise, including making it slightly easier or more challenging.
Work up to using weights
If adding weight to the goblet squat proves difficult, do the exercise as an air squat, but hold your hands together at your chest as if you were holding a kettlebell.
You can still go through the squat in the same way, making sure your elbows are touching the inside of your knees at the bottom of the squat. Then, as you get stronger, add a light kettlebell to the movement to increase your fitness.
Finally, you can sit on a box and stand up again. Place the box behind your hips. This option can be helpful for those who are not as comfortable with raising and lowering themselves into a squat position.
Make it challenging
You can also focus on building strength and power by using a heavy kettlebell or use lighter weights and do more reps to build cardio and mobility.
If you are working on strength, aim for 3 to 5 sets of 4 to 8 reps. If you are focusing on cardio, try 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Adjust these recommendations based on what is challenging enough to fatigue you but not so much that your last rep compromises your form.
Change up your pace
Another option is to slowly lower yourself into a squat for 3 to 5 seconds, repeating the slow pace as you return to standing. This version eliminates momentum and increases control and endurance.
The goblet squat is the predecessor to the barbell front squat. This is because, like the front squat, the goblet squat requires you to hold the additional resistance (the kettlebell) in front of your body at roughly shoulder level, rather than behind you, as is the case with the traditional back squat, where the barbell is positioned behind your shoulders.
Change the position
If you're up for a challenge, hold a barbell in both hands at your shoulders (you'll need some flexibility in your shoulders to do this properly), so that your elbows are straight in front of you and your palms are facing up.
From this position, squat as you would for the goblet squat. The weight and size of the barbell make it more difficult, as well as the slightly awkward position of your arms.
You will immediately notice that you need to keep your torso straight and your chest tall, otherwise you risk being pulled forward and unbalanced by the weight in front of your body.
Holding the weight too far away from your body
The kettlebell should always be held close to your chest when doing goblet squats. Make sure your elbows are fully bent and the kettlebell is close to you, so that you don't feel like you're actively using your biceps to hold it in place.
Suppose you're holding the kettlebell further away from your body. In that case, you'll need to use your biceps, forearms, and even the front of your shoulders to a greater extent so that your chest and shoulders don't lean forward as you squat, which puts you off balance.
Not only does this make it harder to maintain proper form, but it will also limit how much weight you can use during the exercise.
Your legs can carry and support much more resistance than your biceps and arms, so making sure your arms aren't doing most of the work holding the kettlebell in place is important for ongoing progress.
Leaning Forward at the Waist
A common mistake when squatting is to lean forward or lean forward from the waist. This disrupts the neutral alignment of your spine, and in the case of the goblet squat, you are more likely to lose your balance or land on your toes as you squat.5 This is because the weight of the kettlebell can pull you further forward.
To prevent this forward lean, stand in front of a mirror so you can see your side reflection. Before you start the squat, draw your shoulder blades in toward your spine and roll your shoulders back. Engage your core muscles, and watch yourself in the mirror as you push your hips back to start the squat.
You may not be able to lower yourself as deep into your squat, but that’s okay. You can work on your range of motion over time. It is important to correct this forward lean to see more significant improvements in form, range of motion, and resistance levels over time.
Toe-Rise
Since the kettlebell is held in front of your body during the goblet squat, if you have other issues (e.g., you carry the weight too far away from your body, or you lean forward when you squat), you are more likely to make the mistake of rising on your toes when squatting.
Placing the weight on your toes is more likely to throw you off balance, is more likely to compromise the integrity of your knees, and will not increase your resistance over time.
When you squat, make sure your chest and torso are straight and tall. You should be able to wiggle your toes slightly as you squat. This will remind you to keep your center of gravity more centered on your heels and back than on your feet.
Knees roll inward when squatting
The beauty of the goblet squat is that it helps to address the common squat problem of knee valgus, or knee roll inward. As mentioned earlier, by trying to touch your elbows to the inside of your knees at the bottom of the squat, you are essentially training yourself to keep your knees properly aligned with your toes.
At the very least, it gives you a physical reminder to double-check this common problem at the deepest point of the squat before standing up again. Since this is when most people experience knee valgus, this is the ideal way to address the problem.
When you squat, your kneecaps should be aligned with your second toes throughout the exercise. If they feel like they are angled slightly inward, use your glutes and hips to pull your knees slightly outward.
Not using a full squat
The deepest part of the movement is often the most challenging, which is why it’s tempting to stop the movement (whether intentionally or not) before hitting the full bottom of the position. Not going all the way into the squat deprives you of a full range of motion—and helps you reap the full benefits of this exercise.
Instead, focus on sitting deep in the squat, until your elbows touch the inside of your knees. Then, be sure to rise back up to stand up fully.
Safety and Precautions
Generally speaking, the goblet squat is a safe and effective beginner-level squat variation that can help you identify and correct common squatting mistakes. However, those who experience knee or back pain when squatting may also experience this during the goblet squat.
If knee or back pain is a problem for you, try limiting your range of motion first to see if you can do the exercise without pain.7 As you get stronger, gradually deepen your range of motion. If you ever feel sharp or intense pain, stop the movement.
FAQ
What is a Goblet Squat?
A goblet squat is a lower-body exercise where you hold a weight (like a dumbbell, kettlebell, or medicine ball) close to your chest while performing a squat. It targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
What equipment do I need?
A dumbbell, kettlebell, or any other weighted object that you can comfortably hold with both hands.
How do I perform a Goblet Squat?
Start Position:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Hold the weight close to your chest with both hands, gripping it securely.
- Keep your elbows pointed slightly down.
Execution:
- Engage your core and maintain a tall posture.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- Keep your chest upright and avoid letting your knees collapse inward.
- Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as low as your mobility allows).
- Push through your heels to return to standing.
What are the benefits of Goblet Squats?
- Strengthens the Lower Body: Targets quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
- Core Engagement: Holding the weight engages your core.
- Improved Form: Encourages proper squat mechanics, making it great for beginners.
- Flexibility: Helps improve hip and ankle mobility.
How heavy should the weight be?
Start with a manageable weight (e.g., 10–20 pounds) to focus on proper form. Gradually increase the weight as you become more comfortable and stronger.
What common mistakes should I avoid?
- Rounded Back: Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
- Knees Caving In: Push your knees outward as you squat.
- Leaning Forward: Keep the weight close to your chest to stay upright.
- Not Going Low Enough: Aim for thighs parallel to the ground or lower, depending on mobility.
How can I modify the exercise?
- Easier Version: Use a lighter weight or practice bodyweight squats.
- Advanced Version: Increase the weight or perform goblet squats with a pause at the bottom for added intensity.
How many sets and reps should I do?
- Beginners: 3 sets of 10–12 reps with a lighter weight.
- Intermediate/Advanced: 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps with a heavier weight.
Can goblet squats replace back squats?
Goblet squats are a great alternative for beginners or those who lack the equipment or mobility for back squats. However, back squats allow for heavier loads and may better target strength and hypertrophy goals.
How do I progress with Goblet Squats?
- Increase the weight.
- Add more reps or sets.
- Incorporate tempo (e.g., slow descent).
- Combine with other leg exercises for a full workout.
Introduction to Goblet Squats
The goblet squat is a versatile and effective strength training exercise suitable for individuals of all fitness levels. It involves holding a weight close to your chest while performing a squat, making it an excellent choice for developing lower body strength, improving mobility, and mastering proper squat mechanics.
This exercise is particularly beneficial for beginners, as it encourages an upright posture and reduces the risk of common squat-related mistakes. However, advanced athletes can also use goblet squats to refine their technique, enhance core stability, or incorporate variations for added challenge.