Legs · Kettlebell
Kettlebell Cossack Squat
How to do the kettlebell cossack squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with your feet wide and a kettlebell held at your chest in the goblet position. Shift your weight to one leg and sink into a deep squat on that side while the other leg stays straight with the toes up. Drive back up through the loaded heel and shift to the other side, alternating for your reps.
- 1Feel a deep stretch through the inner thigh of the straight leg
- 2Feel the bent leg's glute and quad drive you down and back up
- 3Keep your heel grounded and chest tall throughout
Common mistakes
- Do not round your lower back or let your spine collapse
- Avoid lifting the working heel off the floor
- Do not let the working knee cave in; track it over the toes
Muscles worked
The kettlebell cossack squat mainly works the quads, glutes, and adductors, with the hamstrings, lower back, upper abs, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- AdductorsPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
Kovo programs the kettlebell cossack squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.