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Whether you’re a 1-on-1 client, a TFL user or simply a fitness enthusiast, you’ve probably performed or at least heard of the cossack squat.
We know that it’s important to squat and hinge, as those are 2 crucial movement patterns, but unless programmed for us, we tend to forget to include side to side or lateral variations.
What Is a Cossack Squat?
The Cossack squat is essentially a lateral lunge, moving through the frontal plane, where the feet stay planted. It’s a type of unilateral squat, where one leg is working and the other is not.
The non-working leg is to remain straight the entire time. It’s totally up to you if you want to keep the non-working foot planted fully on the ground or raise the toe while the heel stays planted.
Why Mobility Can Be a Limiting Factor
However, because this frontal plane movement can be new for a lot of us, mobility can be a barrier.
Sometimes it’s joint related, in areas like the ankles, hips or t-spine. Other times it’s a matter of muscle length, where the adductors are short/tight.
Below are a few of my go-to progressions/modifications.
Modifications
Elevate working leg
In this modification, you’ll elevate the working leg as stated, onto a plate(s) or a box/bench. What this allows for is to reduce the range of motion and demand for mobility.
Squat to target
In this modification, you’ll use something like a box or bench to squat onto. For this, I like to set up already seated on the box, so that I know where to set up my non-working leg.
Use support
In this modification, your support could be something like TRX straps or rings, a squat rack or even a door frame.
Holding onto your support of choice, you give your body the opportunity to introduce this range of motion. One thing to keep in mind here is that, when you remove the support, if you’re leaning back a lot, you’ll lose balance and fall backwards. So even while you’re using support, try to keep your torso leaning forward slightly.
Use counterbalance
In this modification, your counterbalance could be a DB or a plate. You can either hold the weight out in front of you the entire time or synchronize the raising of the weight with the eccentric portion (lowering) of the squat.
This variation mimics the full cossack squat more accurately because your center of mass will be more over the mid-foot, causing you to work for your balance.
Programming the Progressions
These options can be used on their own or they could be doubled up. And while there’s no perfect way to move through these progressions, here’s an example of how I might program the progressions for a client of mine.
Cossack squat with leg elevated + upper body support
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Cossack squat with leg elevated + counterbalance
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Cossack squat with support
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Cossack squat to target + counterbalance
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Cossack squat + counterbalance
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Fully Loaded Cossack squat!!
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