Should the toes of the straight leg point up?

In this version the straight leg rests on its heel with the toes pointing up, which turns the hip out and eases the stretch on the inner thigh. Keeping that foot flat is also common, and either works as long as the leg stays straight.

Go as low as you can while the bent heel stays flat, the knee tracks over the toes and the back stays flat. For many people full depth brings the hips close to the heel, but a thigh at or just below parallel is a fine place to start.

How heavy should the dumbbells be?

Much lighter than you would use for a front squat or goblet squat. Pick a pair you can keep racked at your shoulders without losing any of the depth you reach with body weight alone.

Why hold two dumbbells instead of one at the chest?

Two dumbbells at the shoulders let you hold more total weight and train the upper back to keep the chest up. A single dumbbell held goblet style at the chest is easier to balance, so it is a good way to start loading the movement.

Dumbbell Cossack Squat

What Is the Dumbbell Cossack Squat?

Dumbbell Cossack Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the inner thighs and quads and also engages the glutes, the hip stabilizers and the trunk. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you hold a dumbbell at each shoulder, set a wide stance, and sink deep toward one heel while the other leg stays straight with its toes pointing up.

The exercise builds strength at the bottom of a very deep, one-sided squat. The bent leg works through a full range at the hip, knee and ankle, while the inner-thigh muscles of the straight leg lengthen under load. That makes it a useful accessory for anyone who wants stronger, more mobile hips, and coaches often program it for athletes in sports with a lot of side-to-side movement and change of direction. It usually sits after the main lifts of a lower-body session, or in a warm-up with light dumbbells.

Unlike a lateral lunge, which steps out and back on every rep and usually stops near parallel, the Cossack squat keeps a fixed wide stance and sinks much deeper toward one heel. Holding two dumbbells in the rack position keeps the load close to the torso and centered between the legs, and it lets you hold more total weight than a single goblet weight. The upper back and trunk work harder to stop the dumbbells pulling the chest forward, and the Landmine Cossack Squat is another way to load the same pattern.

This version suits lifters who can already reach full depth in the bodyweight Cossack Squat with the bent heel down and the back flat. If that is still a struggle, build up with the Bodyweight Lateral Lunge, the Kettlebell Lateral Lunge and the Dumbbell Goblet Squat first, and add depth before you add weight.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Adductor Magnus: Primary
Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Adductor Longus: High
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Erector Spinae: Medium
External Oblique: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
Deltoid: Low

Instructions

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lift them to your shoulders, with the dumbbells vertical, your palms facing each other and the inner ends resting just in front of your shoulders.
Keep your elbows pointing down and in front of your ribs.
Stand with your feet about twice shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward or turned out slightly.
Brace your core, keep your chest up and shift your weight toward your right leg.
Bend your right knee and push your hips back and down, sinking toward your right heel while your left leg stays straight.
As you lower, let your left foot roll back onto its heel so the toes point up.
Go as low as you can with your right heel flat, your right knee tracking over your toes and your back flat, letting your torso lean forward only slightly.
Drive through your whole right foot to rise back to the center, keeping the dumbbells at your shoulders.
Repeat toward your left side, and keep alternating sides for the set.

Common Mistakes

Lifting the heel
Rising onto the toes of the bent leg shifts the load into the front of the knee and makes the bottom position hard to balance.
Knee caving inward
Letting the bent knee drift inside the foot twists the knee under load instead of keeping it tracking over the toes.
Rounding the lower back
Folding forward and letting the lower back round to reach more depth puts the strain on the spine instead of the hips and legs.
Forcing depth
Pushing past the range you can control with the heel down and the back flat overloads the inner thigh of the straight leg and invites a groin strain.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling into the deepest position and bouncing out of it takes the load off the muscles and puts it on the stretched adductors and the knee.
Losing the rack
Letting the elbows drop away from the front of the body or the dumbbells drift forward pulls the chest down and rounds the upper back.

Injuries

Dumbbell Cossack Squat is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places that take the strain are the inner thigh and hamstrings of the straight leg, the knee of the bent leg, the front of the hip at the bottom of the squat, and the lower back if it rounds as you sink low.

Most problems come from forcing depth you have not earned or adding weight too soon. Own the full range in the bodyweight version first, lower slowly, and never bounce out of the bottom. Keep the bent knee tracking over the toes with the heel flat, and if tight ankles lift the heel, stand that foot on a small plate or stop a little higher. Rolling the straight leg onto its heel with the toes pointing up eases the stretch on the inner thigh.

To make it easier, drop the dumbbells and practice the Cossack Squat, hold a post or rack for balance, or use a shorter range of motion. A Kettlebell Lateral Lunge or Dumbbell Lateral Lunge trains the same side-to-side pattern at a shallower depth. To progress, use heavier dumbbells or pause at the bottom. Stop if you feel sharp or pulling pain in the groin or hamstrings, pinching deep in the front of the hip, or pain in the knee. A strong stretch along the inner thigh of the straight leg is normal, but pain is not.

Overview

Primary Focus: Hips & groin and quads
Equipment: Dumbbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should the toes of the straight leg point up?: In this version the straight leg rests on its heel with the toes pointing up, which turns the hip out and eases the stretch on the inner thigh. Keeping that foot flat is also common, and either works as long as the leg stays straight.
Q: How is it different from a lateral lunge?: A lateral lunge steps out and back on every rep and usually stops with the bent thigh near parallel. A Cossack squat keeps a fixed wide stance and sinks much deeper toward one heel, which asks for more hip and ankle mobility. If the depth is not there yet, start with the Kettlebell Lateral Lunge.
Q: How low should I go?: Go as low as you can while the bent heel stays flat, the knee tracks over the toes and the back stays flat. For many people full depth brings the hips close to the heel, but a thigh at or just below parallel is a fine place to start.
Q: How heavy should the dumbbells be?: Much lighter than you would use for a front squat or goblet squat. Pick a pair you can keep racked at your shoulders without losing any of the depth you reach with body weight alone.
Q: Why hold two dumbbells instead of one at the chest?: Two dumbbells at the shoulders let you hold more total weight and train the upper back to keep the chest up. A single dumbbell held goblet style at the chest is easier to balance, so it is a good way to start loading the movement.