10 Best Goblet Squat Alternatives for Quad Strength

The Goblet Squat is done standing with a kettlebell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Plie Dumbbell Squat, the Dumbbell Goblet Squat and the Dumbbell Supported Squat.

The rack's one kettlebell is either taken or you never owned one, and the Goblet Squat needs it held at your chest to work at all. The closest match is the Plie Dumbbell Squat: one dumbbell held by the end with both hands, hanging between your legs from a wide, toes-out stance, so the load still sits in front of you the way it does on the Goblet Squat. Without a kettlebell or dumbbells, the Barbell Squat carries that same load on your back instead.

Goblet Squat

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Goblet Squat

The steps for the Goblet Squat itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Quads, with calves, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders · Kettlebell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Stand holding a light kettlebell by the horns close to your chest. This will be your starting position.
  2. Squat down between your legs until your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your chest and head up and your back straight.
  3. At the bottom position, pause and use your elbows to push your knees out. Return to the starting position, and repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

The 10 Best Goblet Squat Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Goblet Squat on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Plie Dumbbell Squat

    1. Plie Dumbbell Squat

    99% match

    Quads · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the quads.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Hold a dumbbell at the base with both hands and stand straight up. Move your legs so that they are wider than shoulder width apart from each other with your knees slightly bent.
    2. Your toes should be facing out. Note: Your arms should be stationary while performing the exercise. This is the starting position.
    3. Slowly bend the knees and lower your legs until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure to inhale as this is the eccentric part of the exercise.
    4. Press mainly with the heel of the foot to bring the body back to the starting position while exhaling.
    5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Goblet Squat
  4. Front Squats With Two Kettlebells

    4. Front Squats With Two Kettlebells

    89% match

    Quads · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the quads.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders. Clean the kettlebells to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebells towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrists as you do so.
    2. Looking straight ahead at all times, squat as low as you can and pause at the bottom. As you squat down, push your knees out. You should squat between your legs, keeping an upright torso, with your head and chest up.
    3. Rise back up by driving through your heels and repeat.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Goblet Squat
  5. Barbell Squat

    5. Barbell Squat

    86% match

    Quads · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a barbell to work with, and it still works the quads.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for safety purposes. To begin, first set the bar on a rack to just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
    2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
    3. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position. (Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances discussed in the foot stances section).
    4. Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and hips as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
    5. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel of your foot as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Goblet Squat
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Goblet Squat

Why You Might Need a Goblet Squat Alternative

A missing kettlebell is the usual reason to swap the Goblet Squat: the gym stocks none, someone has the one you wanted, or you have outgrown what a single kettlebell can add. The Goblet Squat holds its load at your chest and asks your knees to track out as you squat, and the alternatives here keep that job for your quads. A dumbbell held upright at your chest asks the same job of your arms, so the Dumbbell Goblet Squat covers that gap directly. The Dumbbell Supported Squat swaps the chest hold for a dumbbell in each hand at your sides instead. A barbell moves the load onto your back, letting you add weight past what any kettlebell holds, and two kettlebells racked at your shoulders change your grip and elbows, not the squat underneath.

How to Choose the Right Goblet Squat Substitute

Reach for whichever equipment you already have. With one dumbbell, the Plie Dumbbell Squat holds it by the end between your legs from a wide stance, load in front like the Goblet Squat, and the Dumbbell Goblet Squat holds it upright at your chest. Own a barbell? The Barbell Squat carries the weight across the back of your shoulders rather than at your chest, from a shoulder-width stance with toes turned out, and Speed Squats use the same setup driving up fast. With two kettlebells, Front Squats With Two Kettlebells racks one on each shoulder, changing your grip while the squat stays the same. With one, the Kettlebell Front Squat holds it in front of your chest, sits the hips back like lowering into a chair and squeezes the glutes at the top, shifting more work to your glutes.

Goblet Squat FAQ

What should I do if I only have a barbell?

Reach for the Barbell Squat. It works the same quads, with the bar across the back of your shoulders rather than held at your chest, and its steps take you to just below parallel rather than all the way down to your calves as the Goblet Squat does. Speed Squats use that same barbell setup and drive up as fast as you can without losing form.

What if I only have kettlebells, not dumbbells?

Front Squats With Two Kettlebells racks one bell per shoulder, changing your grip while the squat stays the same. The Kettlebell Front Squat needs only one bell, held with both hands in front of your chest much like the Goblet Squat's own hold, but its steps sit the hips down and back like lowering into a chair and finish with a glute squeeze at the top, so more of the work drifts to your glutes.

Which swap is the smallest step from the Goblet Squat?

The Dumbbell Goblet Squat. It holds one dumbbell upright against your chest with both hands, right where the Goblet Squat holds its kettlebell, from a shoulder-width stance, and it works the same quads. Its steps stop at thighs parallel rather than the Goblet Squat's full depth, so sink lower if you want to match it; otherwise only the object in your hands changes.

Can I do the Goblet Squat at home?

Yes, with one dumbbell or a pair of kettlebells. The Dumbbell Goblet Squat holds a dumbbell upright at your chest the same way the Goblet Squat holds a kettlebell, and the Plie Dumbbell Squat holds that same dumbbell by the end between your legs from a wide stance instead. If two kettlebells are what you own, Front Squats With Two Kettlebells racks them at your shoulders and keeps the same quads working.

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