Cossack Squat
BWBodyweightUnilateralStrength
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The Cossack Squat is a dynamic bodyweight exercise that involves shifting your weight side to side while squatting deeply on one leg and extending the other straight out, promoting unilateral lower body strength and mobility. Its primary purpose is to enhance quad power while improving hip flexibility and stability. It mainly targets the quads, with secondary engagement of the glutes and hip flexors, making it ideal for athletes, fitness enthusiasts seeking balanced leg development, or anyone addressing asymmetries in squat patterns.
How to Perform Cossack Squat
- 1Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, hands clasped at chest level for balance.
- 2Shift weight onto one leg (e.g., right), bending right knee while keeping left leg straight and foot flat on the ground.
- 3Inhale as you lower your body by pushing hips back and descending laterally toward the bent leg, keeping chest up.
- 4Continue lowering until right thigh is parallel to the ground or as low as mobility allows, feeling stretch in left inner thigh.
- 5Exhale as you drive through right heel to stand back up to the starting position, keeping left leg straight.
- 6Pause briefly at the top, then repeat on the opposite side (left leg).
- 7Perform 8-12 reps per side for 3 sets.
- 8Key form tips: Keep torso upright and core braced; avoid rounding back or letting knee cave inward. Common mistakes: Not going low enough (limits mobility gains) or bouncing at bottom (risks knee strain).