Today I’m going to teach you how to perform a fantastic hip opening exercise, the cossack squat. This exercise can be done bodyweight or with a weight held out front as a counterbalance for your bodyweight. If you are tight in your hips, you might struggle to keep your torso upright as you move hips down. Instead, if you move hips back, you will need to forward lean to prevent yourself from falling backward. If you get the basic movement down and wish to challenge yourself more, try using a heavier weight.
The Cossack Squat
- Begin with a wide stance, depending on your leg length.
- Keep the leg you are squatting over aligned from hip to knee and down to the foot.
- Keep the foot very flat on the side you are squatting, don’t come up off your heel.
- Point your other toe upward with the heel down, rotate at the hip so your knee is pointing straight up.
- Sit down into your hips, keep your back flat and don’t let it round at the bottom.
- Push up to standing through the planted foot, keeping it very flat, distributing the weight evenly.
Use this exercise at the beginning of your routine to open your hips up for the workout. They are very challenging so take your time and develop proper technique. If you have tight glutes or hamstrings you may struggle at first. Keep challenging yourself and you will increase your mobility very quickly with this exercise. The cossack squat will also enhance your overall body awareness which will carry over to other exercises.
Thanks for joining me today,
Peter Hirsh
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