Legs · Bodyweight
Sumo Squat
How to do the sumo squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with a wide stance and your toes turned out, hands at your chest or out in front for balance. Brace your core and sit your hips back and down between your legs, keeping your chest up and knees pushing out over your toes. Drive through your heels to stand and squeeze at the top.
- 1Feel your glutes and inner thighs working through the wide stance
- 2Push your knees out over your toes as you sit down between your legs
- 3Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to stand
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Avoid rounding your back or letting your chest drop
- Don't cut the depth short; sit your hips down between your legs
Muscles worked
The sumo squat mainly works the quads, glutes, and adductors, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- AdductorsPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the sumo 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.