How to Do the Goblet Squat

The goblet squat holds one weight at your chest, which helps you sit upright and stay balanced. It builds the quads and glutes and teaches good squat mechanics. It suits beginners and anyone warming up or training with limited equipment.

Quads Glutes Kettlebell DumbbellBeginner

Log every set of your Goblet Squat in Superlift

Muscles worked

Primary

Quads
Glutes

Secondary

Hamstrings
Abs

How to do the Goblet Squat

1
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest with both hands.
2
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly.
3
Brace your abs and keep your elbows pointing down.
4
Sit down between your knees, keeping your chest tall.
5
Lower until your elbows touch the inside of your knees or your thighs reach parallel.
6
Press through your whole foot to stand up.

Form cues to remember

Elbows inside your knees
Chest tall, weight tight
Sit between your legs
Push your knees out

Goblet Squat video tutorial

📌HOW TO DO A GOBLET SQUAT · SquatCouple on YouTube

Common mistakes

Weight drifting away from the chest

Hug it close so it counters your torso.

Knees collapsing in

Push them out in line with your toes.

Heels rising

Shift your weight to mid-foot or elevate your heels slightly.

Rounding forward

Keep your chest up and look straight ahead.

Sets and reps

Muscle growth	3–4 sets of 8–15 reps, 60–90 sec rest
Endurance	2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, 45–60 sec rest

Grip and hold the weight carefully on the way up to protect your wrists and back. If depth hurts your knees, squat to a box.

Superlift for iPhone

Track your Goblet Squat and watch it go up

Superlift shows what you lifted last time, times your rest, and charts your strength week by week, so you always know what to beat. Every exercise in this library is built in, with the same demos and tutorials.