Cossack Squat
strengthenhipintermediateactiveAdductor length
2 × 5 reps per side
How to do it
- Stand in a wide stance with toes slightly out, chest up and arms forward for balance.
- Shift the hips toward one side and bend that knee while keeping the opposite leg long.
- Descend only as far as the bent-leg heel and tripod foot remain grounded and the knee tracks with the toes.
- Keep the straight-leg foot flat or turn the toes upward only if that variation is comfortable.
- Drive through the bent leg to return to centre, then repeat on the other side.
Form cues
- Use a stable support while learning.
- Keep the bent knee aligned over the foot and do not force the straight knee into hyperextension.
- Stop for groin, knee or ankle pinching.
- Feel the stretch along the straight-leg groin and inner thigh.
Muscles worked
Stretches: hip adductors
Strengthens: quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hip adductors
Part of a program
Part of Front Splits
This exercise is one move. Front Splits puts it in a plan — so you know what to do, in what order, and how much, week by week.
- Sequenced & dosed — the right exercises, in the right order, at the right volume.
- Progresses with you — difficulty ramps as you get stronger, not on a fixed calendar.
- Personalized — built around the specific limiter actually holding you back.
- Tracks your progress — see what's working and adjust over time.
See the program →
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