by Kerry Taylor

In this beautiful world of movement there are a million and one exercises we can perform to benefit our bodies in different ways. I had a few clients performing the Cossack Squat and they asked, “Why am I doing this? I feel so stiff!” Of course I obliged, by giving the answer to their curiosity. For those out there that may have the same question, here are some answers for you. I will walk you through the Cossack Squat. At first glance it looks like a lateral squat or lunge, but it is different.

How they differ:

Mainly in depth and the positioning of the feet. In a lateral lunge or squat, you want to get your thigh of the bent leg as close to parallel as possible and keep both feet anchored to the ground. In a Cossack Squat, you want to get as deep as possible and try to keep the bent leg foot to stay flat on the floor, but if the heel raises up, that’s okay. In time, with practice, you will be able to keep it flat. The straight leg side foot you want to release from the floor to allow the toe to point towards the sky, so you are on your heel of the foot.

Benefit:

It is great for increasing single leg strength when loaded with resistance, but even more so helps to increase the mobility, stability, flexibility and balance in the hips, knees and ankles. It can be used as a drill for a warm up when squatting or deadlifting.

How to perform:

1. Spread your feet wide

2. Start to shift all your weight to one side

3. Start your descent to that side leg, hinging back and pulling yourself down towards the ground at the same time, keeping the other leg straight and start to point the foot towards the sky.

4. Get as deep as you can

5. Once you’ve reached your depth, focus on driving off the bent leg to come back to our starting position. Perform 2 -3 sets with 6-10 repetitions per leg, trying to pull yourself deeper on each rep.

If I have you a little intrigued, or this is something you have never done, try to walk yourself through these previous steps. Once you get a handle on how to perform it, here are some progressions and regressions to allow you to build up this skill so you can nail it every time.

1. TRX / Suspension Strap

2. Anchored

3. Body Weight

4. Front Loaded KB/DB

5. Back Loaded

This movement seems very simple, but it has a lot of benefit to help keep your body moving in the right direction. Give it a try. It would only help you to add this into your training, your body will thank you for it later. Until next time, continue to live life 1 degree above the rest.