Cossack Squats
The Cossack Squat is a dynamic lower body exercise that enhances flexibility and strength in the legs.
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Shift your weight to one side, bending that knee while keeping the other leg straight.
- Lower your hips towards the ground, ensuring your knee stays aligned with your toes.
- Push through your bent leg to return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
How to perform the Cossack Squats
- Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Cossack Squats using your body weight.
- Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your calves.
- Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.
Coaching cues
- Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
- Drive force through your calves rather than momentum.
- Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.
Common mistakes
- Using too much weight and losing positional control.
- Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
- Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.
Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.
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