The Importance of Variation

The goblet squat is one of the most effective squat variations for both learning the squat movement pattern and gaining some initial strength in the lower body. It is also a widely used variation for those who are training at home with minimal equipment. For the sake of variety in your training and avoiding stagnation, it is important to avoid using the same exercises all the time, especially if you are not manipulating the weight used.

If you are training at home with minimal equipment, it is often the case that training can become mundane. This is why changing the exercises you are performing on a regular basis is really important. Below are five examples of goblet squat variations that you can use to stress the squat movement pattern in order to see progress and keep training fun and interesting.

Avoiding Adaptive Resistance

Adaptive resistance is really important when writing exercise programmes over long periods of time. Adaptive resistance is when we stop adapting to an exercise because it is no longer providing enough stimulus. If you only have access to a few KB’s and can do Goblet Squats with your heaviest kettlebell easily then you will have reached a point of adaptive resistance and this exercise will no longer be providing enough stress to create an adaptation. This is why variation is important, it can be variation of exercise, variation of repetition range or variation of load, whatever style of variation you choose you need to make sure that you are adding some element of variation into your training.

Problems Loading The Goblet Squat

Gaining strength and hypertrophy over the long term with the goblet squat is not very effective, this is because the most challenging part of the lift will eventually become holding the weight in the goblet position and not the actual squatting movement pattern. This means that in terms of developing high levels of leg strength the goblet squat is not the most effective exercise once you are no longer a beginner trainee.

Using Single Leg Variations

When training with limited weights it can be very effective to use single leg variations such as B-Stance Goblet Squat and Goblet Kickstand Squat that are discussed below. There are many other excellent lunge variations which can also be very effective. The fact that you are loading a single leg and not both means that you can make light weights go a very long way. When you have reached a point of adaptive resistance with your KB weight but want to continue to stress the squat movement pattern then using unilateral variations is the way to go.

Try These 5 Goblet Squat Variations to Train The Squat Movement

Goblet B-Stance Squat

The goblet B-stance squat is a very challenging single leg variation that can be performed with a kettlebell. The goal is to load the working leg as much as possible, while using the other leg as a guide to ensure you do not lose your balance. This means that it can be done with a light weight and it can be a very challenging squat movement.

Goblet Kickstand Squat

The goblet kickstand squat is slightly easier than the goblet B-Stance squat, but it puts the knee in a more aggressive position and also puts more stress on the muscles of the quadriceps due to the more aggressive knee flexion. I love using this exercise with athletes like rugby payers and MMA fighters who need to be strong in a wide range of organic positions, in conjunction with their high level strength work on back squats and deadlifts.

Pause / Tempo Goblet Squat

The pause goblet squat is an excellent goblet squat variation that allows you to make the traditional goblet squat more challenging. The pause goblet squat involves performing a pause at the bottom of the repetition, making the repetition far more challenging than a typical goblet squat. The tempo goblet squat is where the speed of different parts of the movement (eccentric, concentric, bottom, top) are manipulated to make the movement more challenging. The most popular tempo squat is where the eccentric phase (the downward part of the movement) is made longer. This makes the goblet squat far more challenging, through slowing down the eccentric phase of the movement. We do not have this exercise in our library currently.

1.5 Goblet Squat

The 1.5 goblet squat is an interesting variation. It is where one and a half repetitions of the goblet squat are performed, meaning the eccentric phase is performed, the rebound is performed, then once your hips arrive parallel to your knees on the concentric phase (upward phase) you go back down into a squat and perform the full eccentric phase. These are really tough repetitions. They can turn a weight you find easy into a really tough exercise. We do not have this exercise in our library currently.

Goblet Cossack Squats

The goblet cossack squat is slightly different from the other variations but I thought I would add it in for some extra variety. The cossack squat is not an exercise that can be used to load the legs to create strength adaptations but it can be extremely effective at creating high levels of hip mobility. Adding a lateral squatting variation into your training plan can be an excellent addition if you are looking to improve your lower body mobility.