The Back Squat

The back squat is one of the most well known squat variations, it is one of the three competition powerlifting exercises and is personally one of my favourite exercises for strength development. It is one of the best exercises we can perform to become a strong individual and performing it on a weekly basis will ensure you have a strong lower body.

The Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is also a very well known squat variation, it is extremely effective for those who are learning to squat or are looking to train with minimal equipment.

The Similarities Between The Goblet Squat and The Back Squat

Squat Movement Pattern

The goblet squat and the back squat both move through the squat movement pattern, making them very similar movements. They involve almost identical movements in the knees and the hips and torso angle.

Differences Between The Goblet Squat and The Back Squat

The Loading Position is Completely Different

The key difference between these two squat variations is where the load is positioned. In the back squat the weight is on the muscles around the neck and in the goblet squat the weight is in the hands in front of the body. This is what makes these two exercises so different and why they are used very differently in strength training.

Goblet Squat is Beginner Friendly

The goblet squat is the most effective exercises for both learning how to squat and building initial strength in the lower body. Having the weight in front of the body in the form of a kettlebell or dumbbell allows individuals to have more freedom to move in a pattern that suits their current mobility and movement capabilities, they are less “fixed” into a specific position than when using a barbell. Along with higher degrees of movement freedom, the goblet squat also provides a counterbalance in the squat movement, which means that it is easier to perform the squat with the correct torso angle and move through the full range of motion that is available.

The Back Squat Is Far More Effective for Leg Strength Development

The same reason that the goblet squat is great for beginners makes it very poor for advanced individuals. Having the weight in front of the body in the hands means we quickly meet a point where the most challenging part of the exercise is holding the weight and not squatting it. For an advanced squatter, a 40kg back squat will feel like an extremely easy warm up set, yet a 40kg goblet squat will be very challenging. This is because it is very hard to hold 40kg in the goblet position, not because the legs struggle to lift that load. This means that for anyone trying to optimise their training to get strong needs to be doing back squats once their able to technically.

Back Squats Can Cause Pain / Tension In The Neck

In some individuals, they may not wont to load the spine like the back squat does because it creates tension or pain in the neck. This is a shame as it makes strength development in the legs far more challenging, but this is something to take into consideration when designing exercise programmes for clients.

Be Wary Of Dogmatic Exercise Selection

Some coaches really buy into specific pieces of equipment, be it kettlebells, landmines, barbells etc. The reality is that they all have their use cases and can all be used effectively. When a coach does this, they are usually trying to differentiate themselves from the pack and it can be an effective marketing move. However is also illustrates a misunderstanding of how stress effects the body.

People that are obsessed with kettlebells and never use barbells are missing out on a huge part of the strength training experience. No one has ever gotten truly strong just using kettlebells, yet they hold an almost mystic allure to some individuals, maybe because they are Russian or because people can put fancy designs on them. Whatever caused this popularity in the strength community has led to a widely held belief that they are far more effective than other pieces of equipment, which just isn’t the case.

Which Is More Effective: Back Squat vs Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is far more effective for teaching beginners how to squat and taking the first steps in resistance training. The back squat really isn’t that effective for learning the squat for true beginners, especially for those who have mobility restrictions. The back squat is far more effective at developing higher levels of lower body strength, something that the goblet squat is not very effective at. Meaning that although they are both squatting movements their use cases in resistance training programmes are very different.