Goblet squats are a type of exercise used in strength and functional training. You may come across another name – “goblet” squats, but the essence remains the same. They are performed solely with a kettlebell, dumbbell, or other additional weight, held in front of you with your arms bent. Why exercise is useful and how to do it correctly, we will discover together with a physical trainer.
fitness trainer, co-founder and ambassador of the online home training platform FitStars
“The main goal is to develop the muscles of the legs, glutes, shoulder girdle and strengthen the muscles of the back and core.”
Benefits of exercise
Goblet squats have several advantages over classic or barbell front squats. First of all, you can perform this exercise with any equipment you have at the gym or at home. Kettlebells, dumbbells, sand balls, water bottles – anything you can train with while maintaining proper technique will do.
Secondly, the additional weight here is usually less. This means that the risk of injury due to incorrect technique or high levels of fatigue is lower. Additionally, if you have never tried classic or front squats with a bar, you can use this element as a preliminary exercise.
Thirdly, in goblet squats you need to keep the weight in front of you, so in addition to the legs and glutes, this includes the arms, shoulder girdle and core muscles. Additionally, the specificity of the exercise allows you to develop strength and endurance.
Photo: istockphoto.com / Drazen Zigic
How to do goblet squats correctly?
Execution technique
Starting position: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out, arms bent at the elbows, hands in front of your chest, hold the weight with both hands in front of you. As you inhale, lower yourself slowly, bending over. knees and moving the pelvis backward until the line of the hips is parallel to the floor or slightly lower. Stay at the bottom point for a second or two, then, as you exhale, return to the starting position, straightening your knees and standing up. .
Photo: istockphoto.com / Ridofranz
How to choose weights and how many repetitions to do?
The weight of the kettlebell should be chosen so that you can perform the required number of repetitions without violating the correct technique. The number of repetitions depends on the objective. If your goal is to increase strength, you should choose a heavy weight and perform 8 to 10 repetitions per set with it. If the goal is to burn more calories, then use less weight and do 20 to 30 squats.
Read about another useful exercise for beautiful legs here:
For sculpted legs and toned glutes: how to do side lunges correctly?
Basic errors during execution.
The knees go beyond the sock line. In this case, the load on the knees increases by approximately 30%. This will not give a noticeable effect on one repetition, but in the long term it can cause joint problems.
Lumbar rounding. The back should remain as straight as possible throughout the exercise. Arching your lower back or any other unnatural position will shift the payload from your legs to your back.
Bringing your knees inward. A very common mistake that affects all people with weak ligaments of the knee joint and not only. If you notice that your knees involuntarily “fall” inward, then you urgently need to reduce the weight or even switch to regular squats. This error causes uneven loading on the ligaments and, as a result, very serious injuries.
Turn your foot on the toe. The separation of the heel and the decrease in the support area also cause an increase in uneven loading on the knee joints. The exercise should be performed resting on the entire foot.
If you do not have enough experience to notice and correct all these errors yourself, it is better to perform these exercises at first under the supervision of specialists.
Photo: istockphoto.com / BartekSzewczyk
Contraindications
Contraindications for performance may be due to medical reasons or lack of experience. For any disorders in the musculoskeletal system, problems with the joints, back, etc., it will be more useful to do squats without weight or completely exclude this exercise from your training plan.
Poor physical shape or the inability to independently maintain the correct technique will also not lead to anything good. You can cause irreparable damage to your body if you perform these exercises incorrectly on a regular basis. Without adequate experience, it is better to first look for a trainer, under whose close supervision you can start performing such elements.
Find a new workout for beautiful glutes here:
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