Dumbbell Goblet Squat
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out, holding one dumbbell vertically in front of your chest. From there, slowly squat down as deep as you can while keeping your upper body upright. Then stand back up.
This exercise is a squat with the weight in front of your body. The dumbbell at your chest works as a counterweight: it helps you sink deep into the squat while staying upright. Your quads and glutes do the main work, and your back keeps your upper body upright.
Because you go so deep, the exercise asks for mobility in your hips, knees and ankles. All you need is one dumbbell, which makes it a good way to learn the squat at home or in the gym.
From the studio: For me, the goblet squat is a great exercise for expanding the range of motion in the knees and hips; the weight in front keeps you from tipping backwards at the bottom. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Pick up one dumbbell and hold it vertically in front of your chest: both hands cupped under the top plate, elbows pointing down. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out.
Now slowly lower yourself as deep as you can. Keep your upper body upright and the dumbbell close to your chest. The weight in front of you helps you stay balanced at the bottom.
From the lowest point, slowly stand back up until you are upright again.
The three cues
- Stand tall, feet shoulder-width, toes slightly out
- Lower slowly, as deep as you can
- Upper body upright, stand up slowly
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Starting with a heavy weight straight away | Start with a light dumbbell. Depth first, then weight. |
| Your upper body tips far forward | Keep the dumbbell close to your chest and your upper body upright. |
| You only go partway down | Lower slowly, as deep as you can with control. |
| You tip backwards at the bottom | Lower slowly and use the dumbbell in front of you as a counterweight. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Light dumbbell | Lower slowly, as deep as you can, staying upright. Move on when every rep reaches the same depth with smooth control. |
| Deep squat | Lower slowly as deep as you can, upper body upright, stand up slowly. |
| Heavier dumbbell | Once your depth stays clean on every rep, add weight in small steps. |
Reps and load
Lower slowly, as deep as you can, and stand up slowly. Start with a light weight and choose a weight that lets you reach the same depth on every rep.
The exercise fits well at the start of a leg session, for example before reverse lunges or the Romanian deadlift.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Quads M. quadriceps femoris | Prime mover | Straighten the knee as you stand up and control the way down |
| Glutes M. gluteus maximus | Prime mover | Extend the hip out of the deep squat |
| Adductor magnus M. adductor magnus | Synergist | Helps extend the hip in the deep position |
| Lower back M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keep the upper body upright |
| Abs M. rectus abdominis, Mm. obliqui | Stabiliser | Brace the trunk while the weight sits in front |
| Shoulders and arms M. deltoideus, M. biceps brachii | Stabiliser | Hold the dumbbell steady at the chest |
Your quads and glutes do the main work, with the adductor magnus helping in the deep position. Your back and abs keep your upper body upright, and your shoulders and arms hold the dumbbell.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the deep squat with the dumbbell at the chest from the side, the front and behind, explains why the counterweight helps, and which muscles do the work. · 1:33
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Collins KS, Klawitter LA, Waldera RW, Mahoney SJ, Christensen BK. (2021). Differences in muscle activity and kinetics between the goblet squat and landmine squat in men and women. J Strength Cond Res 35(10):2661–2668. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004094 — Compares the goblet squat and landmine squat in 16 men and 16 women (5 reps each at 30% of body weight) with EMG of the front and back of the thigh and a force plate. The goblet squat showed more quadriceps activity and more vertical force than the landmine squat. The only measurement of the goblet squat itself, and the basis for listing the quads as a prime mover. Glutes and back not measured, age not given, no effect sizes in the abstract. There is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: EMG)
Gullett JC, Tillman MD, Gutierrez GM, Chow JW. (2009). A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals. J Strength Cond Res 23(1):284–292. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818546bb — Compares barbell front and back squats in 15 trained people (video, force plate, EMG). Muscle activity did not differ between bar positions; the back squat produced higher compressive forces and knee extensor moments. The basis for saying a squat with the weight in front fully works the thighs and glutes. Barbell rather than dumbbell, a small trained sample. (Evidence type: Biomechanics)
Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. Eur J Appl Physiol 119(9):1933–1942. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y — A 10-week study in 17 young men training deep versus half barbell squats twice a week (MRI). Gluteus maximus volume increased more with deep squats (+6.7% vs +2.2%), as did the adductors (+6.2% vs +2.7%); the quads grew similarly in both groups (+4.9% vs +4.6%). The basis for the cue to go as deep as you can and for listing the glutes and adductor. A small sample, young men only, barbell. (Evidence type: RCT)
Bloomquist K, Langberg H, Karlsen S, Madsgaard S, Boesen M, Raastad T. (2013). Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations. Eur J Appl Physiol 113(8):2133–2142. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-013-2642-7 — A 12-week study in 17 male students: deep (0–120° knee flexion) versus shallow squats (0–60°) with a heavy barbell. The deep group gained more front-thigh cross-sectional area (4–7%) and more knee extension strength; strength in the shallow squat rose mainly in the shallow group. Complements Kubo 2019 on the quads, where the findings are mixed. Young men, heavy loads. (Evidence type: RCT)
Kim SH, Kwon OY, Park KN, Jeon IC, Weon JH. (2015). Lower extremity strength and the range of motion in relation to squat depth. J Hum Kinet 45:59–69. DOI: 10.1515/hukin-2015-0007 — Examines what determines unloaded squat depth in 101 healthy people (64 men, 37 women). In men, ankle mobility and hip flexion explained a large share of depth (R² = 0.435); in women, ankle mobility and ankle dorsiflexor strength (R² = 0.324). The basis for saying the exercise asks for mobility in the hips, knees and ankles. It does not test whether the goblet squat improves mobility, so Andreas' observation on that is labelled as from the studio. (Evidence type: Cross-sectional study)
Roth R, Donath L, Faude O, Cresswell AG. (2020). Trunk muscle activity during different types of low weighted squat exercises in normal and forefoot standing conditions. J Sports Sci 38(24):2774–2781. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1800358 — Measures trunk muscles in 12 healthy adults (29 ± 8 years) during light squats with the load behind, in front and overhead. Oblique and erector spinae activity was highest overhead; the authors see activity rise with difficulty from front or overhead loading, though only the overhead version was significant in the abstract. The basis for listing the spinal erectors and abs as stabilisers. A small sample, barbell. (Evidence type: EMG)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.