How To Do a Goblet Squat and 5 Variations

If you’re ready to tone and strengthen your whole body while improving athletic performance, goblet squats are the right choice for you! This type of squat gets its name from the position you hold with a free weight in front of you.  Proper goblet squat form will keep your hands and arms steady while holding a cup so that none of the liquid spills.  And goblet squats are one of the most popular squats because they work both lower and upper body muscles including the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, hip, back, shoulders, biceps, and core.

In addition to being a great full body workout, goblet squats keep you in an upright angle throughout the squat which makes them a great choice if you are working on your posture (source) and for people that suffer from limited ankle dorsiflexion (source), meaning you have trouble moving your foot around and you may be adding extra stress on your quads (source).

Because this exercise helps with overall body strength, balance, and thrust, you’re going to find daily and once-in-a-while tasks like lifting and carrying a laundry basket, or putting a suitcase in an overhead bin easier.  Not to mention you’ll be training your body for sports that require both legs and arms including lacrosse, rugby, and swimming.

Here’s how to do a goblet squat:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a weight (dumbbell, kettlebell) in your hands like you’re cupping a giant goblet.
3. Squat down while keeping the “goblet” still.
4. Keep descending until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
5. Pause and then push through your heels to stand up.

But the same-old same-old can get boring.  Other times you plateau, and that’s another reason goblet squats are so popular, they have modified variations that let you customize the movement for a harder challenge, easier intensity, and to match your fitness goals.

Here’s five of our favorite modified goblet squats with how to do them:

1. Box
2. Wall
3. Sumo
4. Overhead press
5. Arms extended

Please note we reference the free weight as a “goblet” so you can keep the visual of holding a cup steady so it doesn’t spill.  You can use a barbell plate, dumbbells, kettlebells, or whatever works best for you.

Goblet Box Squat

By starting with your butt on a box, the lifting portion requires you to exert more power in the ascending phase of the movement (source). This makes the goblet box squat good if your daily life requires lifting heavy objects, or you want to work your quads.

1. Start out sitting on a box or a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold the “goblet” as you would in the standard variant.
3. Without rocking, push through your heels to stand up.
4. Lower yourself to the seated position and repeat. 

If you have trouble with a goblet box squat, or simply want a better booty workout, try a glute focused squat machine like ours.  You’ll be able to decrease or increase intensity and focus in on your bottom helping to shape, tone, and define it as your genetics allow.

Goblet Wall Squat

This type of goblet squat is pure isometric bliss. Isometric exercises are great for lowering (or not raising) blood pressure (source) and for helping to stabilize joints and reducing pain (source).

1. Start out with your back leaning against a wall and your thighs parallel to the floor.
2. Hold the “goblet” as you would in the standard variant.
3. Hold for 25 minutes (just kidding).

Goblet Sumo Squats

This variation works your hip adductors (i.e. your inner thigh muscles) more than usual. Goblet sumo squats are essentials for leg day if you play cut-to-run sports like soccer, since they help prevent one of the most common athletic injuries, pulling your groin (source).  

And if you’re not an athlete, sumo squats are a form of functional strength training because they work multiple muscles at once, helping you finish your workout faster if you’re short on time.

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointed outwards at a 45-degree angle.
2. Hold the “goblet” as you would in the standard variant.
3. Squat down while keeping the “goblet” still and pushing your hips away from your feet.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
5. Push through your heels to stand up.

Goblet Overhead Press Squats

By adding an overhead press at the top portion of the goblet squat, you’re adding a shoulder workout with extra arm intensity because your arms need to control the movement where you take the goblet from holding steady in front of you to your shoulders for the raise. 

And because you never rest throughout the set, this variation gives you an anaerobic workout that burns fat and strengthens bones (source).  Just like the sumo version, this variation is a massive time saver if you don’t want to skip shoulders and arms, but are short on time.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold the “goblet” as you would in the standard variant.
3. Squat down while keeping the “goblet” still.
4. When you finish the up phase of the squat, press the “goblet” up over your head.
5. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Goblet Arms Extended Squats

If you want to work your core and arms extra hard, this advanced version of the goblet squat is for you!  Holding the weight while keeping straight arms causes your shoulders, your entire core, and your upper back to engage even more heavily than in the standard version.  

So if your reps are becoming too easy, and you aren’t ready to increase the weight of the “goblet” yet, try an extended arm goblet squat until you can increase the weight.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a weight (dumbbell, kettlebell) in your hands with your arms straight out in front of you.
3. Squat down while keeping the “goblet” still.
4. Keep descending until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
5. Pause and then push through your heels to stand up.

Goblet squats are one of the most popular types of squats because you can get a full body workout, the weight lets you customize it to your fitness levels, and they can be modified to make your daily tasks easier.  Looking for more tips like these, subscriber to our newsletter below!