The dumbbell goblet squat is a squat variation that I have personally included in my workouts more and more as I have gotten older.
There are several I have chosen to do this.
The primary reason is the dumbbell goblet squat allows me to remain more upright as I perform the squat movement pattern. This takes a lot of tension off my lower back.
Another reason is that as I have lost out of free-time due to the life demands of working full-time, raising children, and working on Legacy Muscle, dumbbell only workouts have become my main form of training.
And the dumbbell goblet squat is an excellent exercise for training the squat movement pattern when all you have is a set of adjustable dumbbells.
So, now that you know a little about why the dumbbell squat works for me, let’s get more into how it can work for you.
In this expert guide, I am going to give you guidance on how to perform the dumbbell goblet squat, what muscles it works, how to incorporate the exercise into your workout routines, and provide some variations of the exercise you can also look into.
How to Perform the Dumbbell Goblet Squat
The dumbbell goblet squat requires you to have access to dumbbells. If you work out at home, the preference here is adjustable dumbbells so you can get stronger as performing the movement by increasing the weight you use.
To perform the dumbbell goblet squat:
- Grab the desired weighted dumbbell you would like to use.
- Assume a shoulder width stance with your feet pointed out at a slight angle.
- Bring the dumbbell to a vertical position right in front of your chest. As you hold the dumbbell, it should look like a goblet in front of you.
- Brace your core and maintain a proud chest and neutral spine.
- Descend into the squat by bending at your hips and knees.
- Once you have reached the desired depth of the squat, reverse the movement by driving through all four corners of your feet and your hips.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
What Muscles Does the Dumbbell Goblet Squat Target?
The dumbbell goblet squat primarily targets the muscles of the legs with an emphasis on the quads. The remainder of the leg muscles it targets are the hamstrings and glutes.
Indirectly, the goblet squat targets the muscles of the core as you brace yourself throughout the movement. It also works the muscles of the shoulders and biceps to keep the dumbbell in a goblet position.
How to Add the Dumbbell Goblet Squat to Your Workouts
The dumbbell goblet squat can be added to your workouts as a primary exercise or as a secondary exercise depending on your goals.
As a primary exercise, you will perform moderate rep ranges with a moderate to heavy dumbbell. The rep and set ranges you will use will fall somewhere between 3-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions.
As a secondary exercise, you will perform moderate to high rep ranges with a moderate to heavy dumbbell. The rep and set ranges for this use case will generally be between 2-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
The db goblet squat is an excellent exercise to include in nearly any workout. Below are some examples of how you can incorporate them into popular workout splits:
- As a primary leg exercise in full body workouts.
- As a primary or secondary exercise during lower body workouts in upper/lower splits.
- As a primary or secondary exercise during leg workouts in push/pull/leg splits.
- On leg days as a primary or secondary exercise in bro split workouts.
Dumbbell Goblet Squat Variations
The dumbbell goblet squat is a squat variation in itself, and even a variation of the dumbbell squat. There are a few other goblet squat variations and many squat variations you can consider for your workouts.
- Kettlebell Goblet Squat
- Barbell Front Squat
- Hack Machine Squat
- Belt Squat
- Dumbbell Goblet Plie Squat
- Dumbbell Goblet Curtsey Squat
Conclusion
The dumbbell goblet squat is an awesome exercise to add to your workouts whether you train at a gym or at home.
I have personally included the exercise in my workouts for a long time now. They began as a secondary movement pattern during my leg days. Then they became a primary exercise during my second weekly leg workout. And now they are a primary exercise during my at-home dumbbell workouts.
I hope that they are a helpful exercise to include in your future workouts.
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