Cossack Squat

The Cossack squat is a lateral squat. You stand with your feet wide, shift your weight to one side, and squat down on that leg while the other leg stays straight.

It looks simple. It exposes every hip mobility limitation you have.

Why it matters:

• Opens the hips in a way front-to-back squats can’t
• Trains the adductors (inner thigh) under load
• Improves ankle dorsiflexion on the loaded side
• Builds single-leg strength and stability
• Prepares the hips for lateral movement (cutting, sliding, kicking)

The pattern: one leg bends and loads, the other stays straight and stretches. The whole hip joint gets worked — flexion on the loaded side, abduction and adduction on both.

The reality: most athletes can’t go deep on the first try. The hips, ankles, and adductors need time. The scaled version is a partial depth on a slightly wider stance. The full version is deep and controlled.

Setup:

• Stand with feet wide (wider than shoulder-width)
• Toes slightly turned out
• Arms relaxed in front of you, or hands together at the chest

Execution:

1. Shift your weight onto your right leg
2. Bend your right knee and push your hips back and down
3. Let your left leg stay straight, foot flat on the ground
4. Sit down into the right leg as deep as you can control
5. Keep your chest up and torso facing forward
6. Push back up through the right leg
7. Repeat on the other side

Primary Points of Performance:

• Standing leg (loaded): bends and takes the weight
• Straight leg: stays straight, foot flat
• Chest stays upright
• Heel of the loaded foot stays on the ground
• Knees track over toes
• Controlled movement

Common Faults & Fixes:

Progressions:

• Standing wide, weight shift side to side (no squat)
• Cossack squat to a box or bench
• Bodyweight Cossack squat, partial depth
• Bodyweight Cossack squat, full depth
• Goblet Cossack squat (hold a weight at chest)
• Weighted Cossack squat

Reps: 3x5-8 per side for strength/mobility. 3x3-5 per side for advanced depth.

Training role:

• Hip mobility (frontal plane)
• Adductor strength and mobility
• Ankle dorsiflexion training
• Single-leg strength and stability
• Warm-up for lateral movement

Programming:

• 3x5-8 per side
• Before or after training
• 2-3x per week
• Can be loaded (goblet, dumbbell, kettlebell) for strength work

What it trains:

• Adductors (stretch of the straight leg, load of the bent leg)
• Quadriceps (loaded leg)
• Glutes (loaded leg)
• Ankle dorsiflexion (loaded leg)
• Hip external rotation (both legs)
• Core (upright torso)

Why it matters for athletes:

• Adductor strength is critical for cutting, sliding, and kicking
• Frontal plane hip mobility is often overlooked — most training is sagittal
• Lateral movements in sport (cutting, sliding) are trained by lateral squats
• Adductor injuries are common in cutting sports; Cossack squats build resilience

Benchmarks:

• Cossack squat to parallel on a box: baseline
• Full depth Cossack squat, bodyweight: intermediate
• Full depth with 25 lbs (goblet): strong
• Full depth with 50+ lbs: advanced
• Full depth with feet elevated on plates: elite

Scaling:

• If depth is limited: squat to a box or bench
• If ankle mobility is limited: elevate the heel with a small plate
• If adductor stretch is too intense: reduce stance width or depth
• If balance is an issue: hold onto a wall or rack

Mobility demands addressed:

• Hip flexion: loaded leg
• Hip abduction: straight leg (stretch)
• Hip external rotation: both legs
• Adductor stretch: straight leg
• Ankle dorsiflexion: loaded leg (heel stays down)
• Thoracic extension: chest stays upright

Why frontal plane mobility matters:

Most training is sagittal — squat, deadlift, lunge. Cutting, sliding, and lateral movement happen in the frontal plane. Without frontal plane hip mobility, athletes lose speed and increase injury risk.

The Cossack squat is one of the few loaded drills that addresses frontal plane hip mobility under control.

Adductor injury prevention:

Adductor (groin) strains are common in cutting sports:

• Soccer
• Hockey
• Football (skill positions)
• Basketball
• Tennis

Building adductor strength and mobility through drills like the Cossack squat reduces groin injury risk significantly.

Programming notes:

• Progress depth before adding load
• Loaded versions (goblet, kettlebell) build strength alongside mobility
• Unilateral — do equal work both sides
• Pair with lateral lunges for a complete frontal plane session

Research context:

• Adductor strength is inversely correlated with groin injury risk in cutting sports
• Frontal plane mobility is often overlooked in programming, especially at the high school level
• Copenhagen plank + Cossack squat + lateral lunges is a comprehensive adductor protocol

Variations:

• Standing wide weight shift: entry-level, no squat
• Box Cossack: scaled depth
• Bodyweight full: baseline
• Goblet Cossack: loaded
• Double kettlebell Cossack: advanced
• Elevated Cossack (feet on plates): deeper stretch
• Barbell Cossack: high-level strength/mobility

When NOT to do it:

• Acute adductor strain: rest
• Acute knee injury: consult a professional
• Acute ankle injury: avoid loaded dorsiflexion
• Post-hip surgery: medical clearance required

Pairs well with:

• Lateral lunges (frontal plane strength)
• Copenhagen plank (adductor isolation)
• World’s Greatest Stretch #1 and #2 (sagittal hip mobility)
• Deep squat (sagittal depth)