Goblet Squat (Dumbbell)

How to do the goblet squat

1. Hold one dumbbell vertically against your chest, with both hands cupped under the top end.
2. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and your toes turned out slightly.
3. Take a big breath into your belly and brace before you start down.Breathe
4. Sit down between your heels with your chest up. Let your knees move forward and out over your toes.
5. At the bottom, keep your elbows inside your knees and your heels flat on the floor.
6. Push the floor away to stand up. Keep the dumbbell against your chest the whole way.

Breathing. Fill your belly with air at the top and hold it as you sit down. Breathe out as you pass the hardest part on the way up, or at the top.

Tips

• Use a goblet squat to warm up before heavier leg work. It opens the hips and grooves the movement.
• When the heaviest dumbbell in the gym feels light, move on to a barbell squat or a split squat.

Muscles worked

The goblet squat works mainly the quads and glutes.

Sets, reps and rest

These numbers come from the same rules as the Oh My Coach app, with this exercise as the first main lift of the day. Use a load that leaves 1 to 3 reps in reserve. When you reach the top of the range in every set, add a little load or move to the harder version (double progression). What is double progression?

Common mistakes

• Heels lifting off the floor

  Why it matters: Your weight shifts onto the toes, you lose balance and the knees take more stress.

  Fix: Sit back between your heels and keep the whole foot flat. A slightly wider stance can help.

• Knees caving in on the way up

  Why it matters: The knees move out of line with the feet, which reduces glute work and stresses the knee.

  Fix: Push your knees out over your toes. At the bottom, your elbows can gently press the knees out.

• Letting the dumbbell drift away from the chest

  Why it matters: The weight pulls your upper body forward and your lower back starts to round.

  Fix: Hold the dumbbell tight against your chest, high on the sternum, with your elbows pointing down.

• Stopping well above parallel

  Why it matters: Short reps train less of the legs. A deeper squat loads the glutes and inner thighs more.

  Fix: Go as deep as you can with flat heels and a neutral back. Use a box behind you to learn the depth.

Make it easier or harder

This exercise gets harder with load. When every set reaches the top of the rep range with good form, add the smallest weight step you have. To make it easier, use less load or a shorter range of motion while you learn the movement.

Versions of this exercise

Kettlebell goblet squat

quads, glutes · kettlebell · Beginner

Full guide coming soon

Alternatives

Same main muscle and the same movement pattern first, from the same rules as the app's swap list.

Squat (Barbell Back Squat)

quads, glutes · barbell · Intermediate

Same movement pattern

Front squat

quads, glutes · barbell · Advanced

Same movement pattern

Kettlebell goblet squat

quads, glutes · kettlebell · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

Leg press

quads, glutes · leg press · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Hack squat

quads, glutes · hack squat · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Bodyweight squat

quads, glutes · No equipment · Beginner

Same movement pattern

What you need

• Dumbbells

Take care if

This exercise loads the knee. If your knee hurts, stop. Options that do not load the knee in the same way: Chair squat. For pain that does not go away, see a doctor or a physiotherapist.

If your knee hurts during the squat, stop. Try a shallower depth or a box squat to a higher seat.