| Credit: LUNAMARINA |
If you are looking for a simple but effective exercise to work your lower body and core, you might want to try the kettlebell goblet squat.
This is a variation of the classic squat that involves holding a kettlebell in front of your chest, like a goblet.
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This position adds resistance and challenge to the squat, while also improving your posture, mobility, and stability.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the kettlebell goblet squat, including:
- The muscles worked by this exercise
- How to perform it correctly and safely
- The benefits of doing it regularly
- Some variations and alternatives to spice up your routine
- How to include it in your training program
Let’s get started!
What Muscles Does the Kettlebell Goblet Squat Work?
The kettlebell goblet squat is a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups at the same time.
This makes it a time-efficient and functional movement that will enhance your performance in everyday activities, sports, and other exercises.
The main muscles worked by the kettlebell goblet squat are:
- Quadriceps: These are the four muscles that make up most of your upper leg mass. They help you extend your knees and flex your hips during movements like squats. They are also important for posture, walking, and the function of the spine and pelvis.
- Glutes: These are the three muscles that make up your butt: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. They help you extend and externally rotate your hips during movements like squats. They are also important for stabilizing your pelvis, supporting your lower back, and enhancing your appearance.
- Hamstrings: These are the three muscles that run along the back of your thighs: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. They help you flex your knees and extend your hips during movements like squats. They are also important for balance, agility, and injury prevention.
- Calves: These are the two muscles that make up your lower leg: the gastrocnemius and soleus. They help you plantarflex your ankles during movements like squats. They are also important for running, jumping, and standing.
In addition to these major muscle groups, the kettlebell goblet squat also works some secondary muscles, such as:
- Core: These are the muscles that surround your trunk and spine: the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae, multifidus, etc. They help you stabilize your torso and maintain a neutral spine during movements like squats. They are also important for breathing, digestion, and overall health.
- Forearms: These are the muscles that run along your lower arms: the flexors, extensors, pronators, supinators, etc. They help you grip and hold the kettlebell in front of your chest during movements like squats. They are also important for hand strength, dexterity, and coordination.
- Biceps: These are the two muscles that make up your upper arm: the biceps brachii and brachialis. They help you flex your elbows and supinate your forearms during movements like squats. They are also important for lifting, pulling, and curling.
- Shoulders: These are the three muscles that make up your shoulder joint: the deltoids, rotator cuff, and trapezius. They help you elevate and stabilize your shoulders during movements like squats. They are also important for mobility, stability, and posture.
Must Read : Goblet Squat Muscles Worked: A Complete Guide
How to Do the Kettlebell Goblet Squat Correctly
The kettlebell goblet squat is not a complicated exercise to perform, but it does require some attention to detail to avoid injury and maximize results.
Here are some steps to follow to do it correctly:
- Choose an appropriate weight: The kettlebell goblet squat can be done with any size of kettlebell, but you want to choose one that is challenging but manageable for you. A good rule of thumb is to start with a weight that is about 25% of your bodyweight or less. You can always increase or decrease the weight as needed.
- Position yourself in front of the kettlebell: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, with your toes pointing slightly outward. Face the kettlebell and place it on the floor between your feet. Make sure you have enough space around you to perform the squat without hitting anything.
- Pick up the kettlebell and hold it in front of your chest: Bend your knees and hips and reach down to grab the kettlebell by the horns (the sides of the handle). Lift it up to your chest and hold it close to your body, with the bottom of the bell facing up and the horns facing down. Keep your elbows tucked in and your wrists straight. This is your starting position.
- Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower: Take a deep breath and brace your core. Then, initiate the movement by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Keep your chest up, your back straight, and your heels on the ground. Squat down as low as you can without compromising your form or comfort. Ideally, you want to go below parallel, meaning that your hips are lower than your knees. However, this may depend on your mobility and flexibility. Do not force yourself to go lower than you can.
- Stand up and squeeze your glutes at the top: Reverse the motion by driving through your heels and extending your hips and knees. Keep the kettlebell close to your chest and maintain a tight core and upright torso throughout. Stand up until you are fully erect and squeeze your glutes at the top. Exhale as you do so. This is one repetition.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps: Continue to perform the kettlebell goblet squat for as many reps as you want or need. Make sure to keep a steady pace and a controlled tempo. Do not bounce or jerk at the bottom or top of the movement. Lower yourself with control and rise with power.
Must Read : 10 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Every Major Muscle Group
What Are the Benefits of Doing the Kettlebell Goblet Squat?
The kettlebell goblet squat is a versatile exercise that offers many benefits for your fitness, health, and performance.
Here are some of them:
- It strengthens your lower body and core muscles: As we mentioned before, the kettlebell goblet squat works many muscles in your legs, butt, and core. These muscles are essential for many activities, such as walking, running, jumping, lifting, climbing, etc. By strengthening them, you will improve your endurance, power, speed, balance, and coordination.
- It improves your posture and mobility: The kettlebell goblet squat forces you to keep your chest up and your spine neutral throughout the movement. This helps you develop good posture habits that will prevent back pain and injuries. Moreover, the kettlebell goblet squat also challenges your range of motion in your hips, knees, and ankles. By squatting deep with proper form, you will increase your flexibility and mobility in these joints, which will also prevent stiffness and injuries.
- It burns calories and fat: The kettlebell goblet squat is a high-intensity exercise that elevates your heart rate and metabolism. This means that you will burn more calories and fat during and after the workout than with other exercises. The kettlebell goblet squat is also a great way to build lean muscle mass, which will boost your metabolic rate even more.
- It enhances your performance in other exercises: The kettlebell goblet squat is a great exercise to improve your technique and confidence in other squat variations, such as the back squat, front squat, or overhead squat. By holding the weight in front of your chest, you will learn how to keep your torso upright and stable during the squat, which will transfer to other movements that require this skill. The kettlebell goblet squat is also a great accessory exercise to complement other exercises that work similar muscles, such as lunges, deadlifts, swings, etc.
How to Vary or Modify the Kettlebell Goblet Squat
The kettlebell goblet squat is a simple but effective exercise that can be varied or modified in many ways to suit different goals, levels, or preferences.
Here are some examples of how to do that:
- Change the weight: The easiest way to vary or modify the kettlebell goblet squat is to change the weight of the kettlebell you use. You can increase or decrease the weight depending on how challenging you want the exercise to be. You can also use different weights for different sets or reps to create more variety or intensity.
- Change the stance: Another way to vary or modify the kettlebell goblet squat is to change the stance of your feet during the movement. You can widen or narrow your stance depending on which muscles you want to emphasize more. For example, a wider stance will target more of your inner thighs and glutes, while a narrower stance will target more of your quads and calves. You can also change the angle of your toes, from pointing straight ahead to pointing outward or inward, to change the stress on your knees and hips.
- Change the tempo: Another way to vary or modify the kettlebell goblet squat is to change the tempo or speed of the movement. You can slow down or speed up the descent or ascent of the squat, or add pauses at the bottom or top of the movement, to create more tension or challenge for your muscles. For example, you can do a 3-2-1 tempo, where you lower yourself for 3 seconds, pause for 2 seconds, and stand up for 1 second. Or you can do a 1-0-1 tempo, where you lower yourself for 1 second, do not pause, and stand up for 1 second.
- Change the position of the kettlebell: Another way to vary or modify the kettlebell goblet squat is to change the position of the kettlebell during the movement. You can hold the kettlebell in different ways, such as by the horns, by the bell, or by one horn and one bell. You can also move the kettlebell from side to side, up and down, or in circles, as you squat. This will challenge your core and stability more, as well as add some variety and fun to the exercise.
How to Include the Kettlebell Goblet Squat in Your Training Program
The kettlebell goblet squat is a versatile exercise that can be included in any training program, regardless of your goal, level, or preference.
Here are some tips on how to do that:
- Determine your goal: The first thing you need to do is to determine your goal for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. Do you want to build strength, muscle mass, endurance, power, mobility, or a combination of these? Depending on your goal, you will need to adjust the weight, reps, sets, rest periods, and frequency of doing this exercise.
- Choose an appropriate weight: The next thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate weight for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. As we mentioned before, a good rule of thumb is to start with a weight that is about 25% of your bodyweight or less. However, this may vary depending on your goal and level. For example, if you want to build strength or power, you may need to use a heavier weight and do fewer reps and sets. If you want to build endurance or mobility, you may need to use a lighter weight and do more reps and sets.
- Choose an appropriate rep range: The next thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate rep range for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. Again, this may vary depending on your goal and level. For example, if you want to build strength or power, you may need to do 1-5 reps per set. If you want to build muscle mass or endurance, you may need to do 6-15 reps per set. If you want to build mobility or flexibility, you may need to do 16-20 reps per set.
- Choose an appropriate number of sets: The next thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate number of sets for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. Once more, this may vary depending on your goal and level. For example, if you want to build strength or power, you may need to do 3-5 sets per workout. If you want to build muscle mass or endurance, you may need to do 4-6 sets per workout. If you want to build mobility or flexibility, you may need to do 2-3 sets per workout.
- Choose an appropriate rest period: The next thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate rest period between sets for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. Yet again, this may vary depending on your goal and level. For example, if you want to build strength or power, you may need to rest 2-3 minutes between sets. If you want to build muscle mass or endurance, you may need to rest 1-2 minutes between sets. If you want to build mobility or flexibility, you may need to rest 30-60 seconds between sets.
- Choose an appropriate frequency: The last thing you need to do is to choose an appropriate frequency for doing the kettlebell goblet squat. Finally, this may vary depending on your goal and level. For example, if you want to build strength or power, you may need to do this exercise 1-2 times per week. If you want to build muscle mass or endurance, you may need to do this exercise 2-3 times per week. If you want to build mobility or flexibility, you may need to do this exercise 3-4 times per week.
Here is an example of how to include the kettlebell goblet squat in your training program for different goals:
| Goal | Weight | Reps | Sets | Rest | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength/Power | Heavy (80-90% of 1RM) | 1-5 | 3-5 | 2-3 min | 1-2 times/week |
| Muscle Mass/Endurance | Moderate (60-80% of 1RM) | 6-15 | 4-6 | 1-2 min | 2-3 times/week |
| Mobility/Flexibility | Light (40-60% of 1RM) | 16-20 | 2-3 | 30-60 sec | 3-4 times/week |
Conclusion
The kettlebell goblet squat is a great exercise that can help you improve your lower body and core strength, posture, mobility, and performance.
It is easy to learn and perform, and it can be varied or modified in many ways to suit your needs and preferences.
It can also be included in any training program, regardless of your goal or level.
If you want to reap the benefits of this exercise, make sure to follow the steps and tips we provided in this article.
- Start with a light weight and focus on your form and technique.
- Gradually increase the weight and intensity as you get more comfortable and confident with the movement.
- Experiment with different stances, tempos, positions, and variations to keep your workouts fun and challenging.
The kettlebell goblet squat is a simple but effective exercise that can take your fitness and health to the next level.
Try it today and see for yourself!
