Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Focused Style Weighted Cossack Squats (Male): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

Weighted cossack squats are a lower body exercise targeting the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. This movement requires significant balance, mobility, and strength, as you shift your weight laterally and squat deeply on one leg while holding a weight.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads , Hamstrings , Calves
Equipment
Weighted
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the focused style weighted cossack squats (male)
Front view: muscles worked by the focused style weighted cossack squats (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, hamstrings and calves.
Back view: muscles worked by the focused style weighted cossack squats (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads, hamstrings and calves.
Primary Secondary

How to do the focused style weighted cossack squats (male)

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward.
  2. Step 2: focused variation Hold a weight in front of your chest with both hands.
  3. Step 3: Shift your weight to one side and lower your body by bending the knee of the side you shifted towards, while keeping the other leg straight.
  4. Step 4: Go as low as you can while maintaining balance and keeping your chest up.
  5. Step 5: Push through the heel of the bent leg to return to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat on the other side, alternating between legs.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the focused style weighted cossack squats (male) by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Focused Style Weighted Cossack Squats (Male) alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.