How to do a Cossack Squat
- Stand with feet much wider than shoulder-width, toes forward.
- Shift your weight onto one leg and bend that knee, sitting back.
- Let the straight leg's foot rotate up onto its heel, toes up.
- Keep the squatting heel down and your torso as upright as you can.
- Descend as far as your mobility allows with control.
- Push back to center and shift to the other side.
Keep in mind
- Keep the heel of the bent leg planted and let the straight leg's toes come up.
- Sit back and down with a tall chest, as if squatting on one side only.
- Press the working knee out over the foot.
- Push the floor away to travel back up or across to the other side.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the back to get lower — hold the depth where the spine stays long.
- The heel lifting on the bent side — sit back more, or narrow the stance.
- Dropping in fast — this move wants control, not momentum.
Breathing
Breathe in as you sink to one side, out as you press back up.
Take care
This asks a lot of the hips, knees and inner thighs — hold a support and use a shallow range until the depth arrives.
Easier and harder
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