How to Do a Goblet Squat Like a Pro
Getting in strength workouts is important to help up your riding performance. And one move—a goblet squat—is a great way to top off your full-body or leg workout, because it’s a versatile total-body move.
“The beauty of the goblet squat is that you can go heavy and go for strength or use a light weight and rack up reps for cardio or mobility,” says Kenny Santucci, NASM-certified personal trainer, and general manager at SOLACE New York. Plus, unlike other squats, which only target your lower half, the weight-in-hand will work your whole body.
How to Do a Goblet Squat
How to: Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed slightly out. Pin your elbows to your rib cage and hold the weight right under your chin. If using a dumbbell, hold it vertically so your wrist is touching the bar and hands are cupping the top end of the weight; for a kettlebell, grip it by the horn, right-side-up. (This move was demoed by Sweat trainer Kelsey Wells.)
Keeping your arms close to your chest and elbows pointing down, bend your hips and knees to lower your body as far as you can slowly, over three seconds. When you’re in your deepest squat, pause for two seconds, then drive through your glutes, legs, and heels to stand back up to the starting position (over about three seconds again). That’s one rep.
Reps/sets: If your goal is strength, Santucci advises aiming for three to five sets of three to five reps with a heavy weight. If you’re aiming for cardiovascular fitness, do at least eight reps for four to six sets with a light weight. For mobility, hit eight to 10 reps for two to three sets at that light weight.
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One form note: It’s important to make sure you’re hitting the true bottom of your squat. “If you only work half the range of motion, you’re not getting the full capabilities of the muscle,” Santucci says. That means not only are you forfeiting building the best glutes possible, but you’re also losing the functional training you need to, say, get up from sitting on the curb or off your meditation pillow.
Benefits of a Goblet Squat
Traditional squats strengthen nearly every muscle in your lower body—including your thighs, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. And when it comes to the goblet squat variation, the benefits keep on building: “Goblet squats work everything—arms, shoulders, core, back, and obviously legs,” Santucci explains.
Goblet squats are not just a great move for total-body strength, but also core stabilization. By adding a weight to the front of your body, you'll challenge your core even more, since it will work to stabilize your body. And, most significantly, goblet squats really help strengthen your butt.
Make Goblet Squats Part of Your Workout
You can add goblet squats in to pretty much any routine, no matter your goal for the day. But Santucci has two favorite ways to incorporate goblet squats into his client’s workouts:
For a warmup: Use a super light weight to focus on getting to the bottom of a squat and boosting mobility.
For a strength/HIIT workout: Use a moderate-to-heavy weight for five sets of six to 10 reps. Then mix that with some burpees, rowing, pull-ups, and push-ups.
Additionally, you can add goblet squats to any leg-day routine—just incorporate it with your other favorite leg and butt exercises. And if you’re a big fan of squats, considering mixing things up and trying any of these squat variations.
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