How to Do the Kettlebell Goblet Squat for Home Workout Quad Gains

Love them or loathe them, kettlebell goblet squats have numerous benefits aside from their ease of use. During lockdown this exercise was heavily relied upon. Now, it probably sits in the spare room gathering dust. But we're here to get you using it again and hopefully, after reading this article, you'll never want to put it back down.

So read on and find out why the goblet squat is the king of kettlebell exercises, the muscles the move works, the benefits to be had, how to perform it correctly and why it's the key to your muscle-building goals

Oh, and go grab that feather duster.

preview for Joe Wick's 15-Minute Full-body Kettlebell Workout

The Muscles Worked by Kettlebell Goblet Squats

The kettlebell goblet squat is a compound movement, meaning it works multiple muscle groups. According to evidence published in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, here are the primary and secondary muscles worked:

Quads: The main movers in your kettlebell goblet squats are the quadricep muscles. The quadriceps run down the front of your thigh and comprise of the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, and the vastus lateralis.
Glutes: The glutes are another primary mover in the kettlebell goblet squat. The glute muscles comprise of the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. The main muscle of these three working during the squat is the gluteus maximus.
Hamstrings: The hamstrings are a secondary mover during the kettlebell goblet squat. They support the legs during the entirety of the reps.
Calves: Another secondary mover, the calves stabilise the ankles and knees during the kettlebell goblet squat.
Core: Due to the front loading of the kettlebell goblet squat, the core works hard to support your torso and keep your chest upright.
Shoulders: The anterior deltoid muscles work hard to keep the kettlebell in the goblet position in front of the chest.
Biceps: The biceps support the goblet position of the kettlebell isometrically for the duration of the reps.

shot of a young man doing squats with weights in gym

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The Benefits of the Kettlebell Goblet Squat

The king of kettlebell exercises possesses multiple benefits anyone can put to good use:

Train at Home

The beauty of kettlebell goblet squats is that you can do them anywhere. Being able to hit multiple muscles with only one piece of equipment and limited space can cut down on equipment and gym costs. For those who have limited time available for training, exercises like kettlebell goblet squats could be a good option due to the reduction in travel time to the gym.

Safe for Beginners

Kettlebell goblet squats are a perfect beginner's exercise. Instead of loading a barbell with weight that may be excessive for a gym newbie, the kettlebell goblet squat teaches an upright chest position more suitable for progressing the exercise once skill improvement has evolved. It can also be the exercise of choice for those who have restricted ankle mobility. According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, holding the kettlebell in the goblet position can increase range of motion, something that a lot of beginners struggle with.

Explosive Strength

Kettlebell goblet squats could have a place in strength and conditioning coaching. A review published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that kettlebells 'can be used in the conditioning of endurance athletes and they can be used to improve explosiveness in power athletes.'

Although there is clearly still a great deal to learn about the properties of standard kettlebell training exercises and their effect on strength, power, and aerobic fitness, the research so far indicates that they could be a promising tool for strength and conditioning coaches.

Lower Body Hypertrophy

Resistance training with free weights, such as the kettlebell, can of course increase muscular hypertrophy. Free weights place stress on the muscles forcing them to adapt and grow. Current research suggests that maximum gains in muscle hypertrophy are achieved by training regimens that produce significant metabolic stress while maintaining a moderate degree of muscle tension. You can accomplish this by incorporating progressive overload into your training (increasing weights, reps and sets etc).

Increased Testosterone

When comparing free weights like kettlebells to machines, a study published by The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that 'men training with free weights have an acute increase in free testosterone after an acute resistance training session'. Thus, potentially enhancing hypertrophy effects when building muscle.

This is further supported in a review of the mechanisms of hypertrophy published by the same journal, which states that multi-joint exercises recruit large amounts of muscle mass to carry out work, which has an impact on the anabolic hormonal response to training. Specifically, the magnitude of post-exercise hormonal elevations has been shown to be related to the extent of muscle mass involved, with multi-joint movements producing larger increases in both testosterone and GH levels compared to single-joint exercises.

How to Do the Kettlebell Goblet Squat

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Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and hold your kettlebell close to your upper chest either by the handle or upside down.
Keep your chest proud and your core locked.
Sink your hips back and descend into a squat whilst the knees travel in line with the toes.
A the bottom of the squat, the thighs should hit parallel or lower and your elbows should come in between your knees.
Drive back up, driving through the heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Is It Ok for Knees to Go Over Toes When Squatting?

The myth that knees shouldn't travel over the toes during squats is founded in dated bro science. It was thought that the deep squat exercise could cause loosening of the ligaments. However, this ideas has been debunked. Published by the National Library of Medicine, it was found that power lifters doing squats did not demonstrate a significant change in laxity. This was supported further by a column published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal by Brad Schoenfeld PhD who stated that recent studies have failed to reveal any association between deep squatting and injury risk in healthy subjects.

That's not to say there aren't dangers with deep squatting. In the same column, it reads: 'Overall, the squat exercise provides substantial and well-researched benefits. When considering the value of the deep squat, the risks appear to outweigh many of the potential benefits.' In other words, work within your range of motion and what works best for you and your biomechanics.

How Many Reps and Sets Should I Do?

The reps and sets you use during kettlebell goblet squats for muscle building will be individual to your strength and fitness abilities. Should your goal be building muscle (hypertrophy) a review published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research recommends rep ranges of 6-12 reps per set with rest intervals of 60-90 seconds between sets. As a rule of thumb, aiming for 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps for your kettlebell goblet squats with a weight that challenges you sufficiently should be suitable for your goals.

What Kettlebell Weight Should I Use?

With the rep ranges mentioned above, choose a weight that challenges you using the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion).

rpe scale rate of perceived exertion weight lifting strength training hypertrophy

Ideally for optimal muscular adaptation, aiming for 8 out of 10 would be suitable towards the end of your sets. If you only have one kettlebell weight at home, adjust the rep ranges so that you can push yourself to a higher intensity.

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Variations

Dual Kettlebell Front Squat

Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and hold both kettlebells in the front rack position.
To do this, hold the kettlebells in front of your chest with your elbows close to your waist and your thumbs touching your collarbone.
Keep your chest proud and your core locked. Sink your hips back and descend into a squat whilst the knees travel in line with the toes.
At the bottom of the squat, the thighs should hit parallel or lower.
Drive back up, driving through the heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Men's Health says: Dual kettlebell front squats are a great option to progress the weight after kettlebell goblet squats and therefore result in more muscle gain. If you only have one weight, you can buy the same kettlebell weight again and greatly increase your exercise repertoire with just one additional piece of kit.

Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and hold your dumbbell close to your upper chest.
Keep your chest proud and your core locked.
Sink your hips back and descend into a squat whilst the knees travel in line with the toes.
At the bottom of the squat, the thighs should hit parallel or lower.
Drive back up, driving through the heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Men's Health says: The kettlebell goblet can of course be substituted for the dumbbell goblet squat in order to receive all the same benefits.

Dual Front Rack Squat

Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and hold your dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your elbows tucked into the waist.
Keep your chest proud and your core locked.
Sink your hips back and descend into a squat whilst the knees travel in line with the toes.
At the bottom of the squat, the thighs should hit parallel or lower.
Drive back up, driving through the heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Men's Health says: Another great option to increase the weight after kettlebell goblet squats or dumbbell goblet squats is to double up the weight with dual front rack squats. According to research published in the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 'It is a relatively simple exercise to teach and learn, is appropriate for athletes and non-athletes, can be adapted for use by most clients, and is often taught during the intermediate or improvement stages of a strength enhancement program.'

Offset Kettlebell Front Squat

Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and hold one kettlebell in the front rack position.
To do this, hold the kettlebell in front of your chest with your elbow close to your waist and your thumb touching your collarbone.
Keep your chest proud and your core locked so that the torso doesn't bend side to side.
Sink your hips back and descend into a squat whilst the knees travel in line with the toes.
At the bottom of the squat, the thighs should hit parallel or lower. Drive back up, driving through the heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Men's Health says: The offset kettlebell front squat is a progression which challenges your core by forcing it to isometrically resist lateral flexion. Meaning, you are forced to resist the bending of the torso sideways throughout the squat resulting in additional core training.

Sandbag Squats

With the bag standing tall, squat down and wrap your arms around it, ‘hug’ the bag as tightly as possible before standing upright, the bag should be covering your entire torso.
Squat down until the crease of your hip passes your knee before returning to standing.
Maintain an upright posture and tight squeeze on the bag throughout.

Men's Health says: Sandbag squats enable you to increase the weight whilst challenging your arms and core. They are another great at home training option for you to add in your work from home programme.

Top 10 Kettlebell Goblet Squat Workouts

Now you've learnt how to do the kettlebell goblet squat like a pro, give these workouts a go:

Kate Neudecker

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.