Goblet Squat Form

Prop up your phone and RepSensei counts your goblet squat reps and flags some visible issues, right on your device. Video never leaves your phone.

How to do it

1. Hold a dumbbell vertically by one end, or a kettlebell by the horns, close to your chest with elbows pointing down.
2. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width, toes turned out a little.
3. Brace your stomach and sit down between your heels, keeping the weight tight to your chest.
4. Let your elbows travel down inside your knees and push your knees out gently at the bottom.
5. Stand up by pushing through your whole foot, keeping your chest tall.

Coaching cues

Weight glued to the chest

If it drifts forward, it pulls your torso with it and loads the lower back.

Elbows inside knees

This gives you a depth target and nudges the knees outwards.

Proud chest

Staying tall is the point of the goblet squat; the weight helps you do it.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Holding the weight away from the body

The arms tire first and the torso tips forward. Fix: Keep the weight touching your chest and the elbows down.

Knees caving in

Without a cue to push out, the knees often drift together on the way up. Fix: Use your elbows to gently nudge your knees out at the bottom.

Heels lifting

Stiff ankles or a narrow stance push the weight onto your toes. Fix: Widen your stance, turn your toes out a bit more, or raise your heels on small plates.

Rounding the back at depth

Going lower than your hips allow tucks the pelvis. Fix: Squat to a depth where your back stays in position and build from there.

Muscles worked

Main: Quads, Glutes. Also: Inner thighs, Abs, Shoulders, Hamstrings.

Who should take care

It is a good choice for beginners and people returning to training. If you have knee or hip pain, keep the range comfortable and see a doctor or physiotherapist if pain persists.

Variations

• Bodyweight Squat: Easier: no weight at all.
• Dumbbell Squat To A Bench: Easier: sit to a bench for a set depth.
• Front Squats With Two Kettlebells: Harder: two kettlebells in the rack position.
• Front Barbell Squat: Harder: the barbell version of a front-loaded squat.

Filming your goblet squat

Prop the phone side-on at hip height, two to three metres away, so the bottom position is fully in frame. You can track it with the RepSensei camera, which counts reps and can flag some visible issues from one angle; it cannot see everything. See how to film your form.

Questions

Dumbbell or kettlebell?

Either works. Hold a dumbbell vertically by the top end, or a kettlebell by the horns or bell.

When should I move on to barbell squats?

When the weight you can hold at your chest limits your legs, usually after a few months of steady progress.

How deep should a goblet squat go?

Most people can reach elbows to knees. Go as deep as you can with a flat back and heels down.

See the Goblet Squat exercise guide with a 3D figure.

More form guides

• Squat form
• Deadlift form
• Lunge form
• Romanian Deadlift form
• Hip Thrust form

General guidance, not medical advice. Stop if anything hurts. The camera can miss things, so no issue seen doesn't mean perfect form.