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Kettlebell Sumo Squat being performed with proper form
Kettlebell Sumo Squat demonstration video — proper form for the full movement.

How to do a Kettlebell Sumo Squat

Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About this exercise

Sets Logged
1,350,991
Popularity Rank
138th
Difficulty
Intermediate
Hamstrings Strength
96 mSCORE 10th
Equipment Required

Workouts with Kettlebell Sumo Squat

    Target muscles worked

    Primary Muscles
    Hamstrings
    Secondary Muscles
    Back, Glutes, Quads, Shoulders

    Instructions for Proper Form

    Kettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.

    1. Stand in a wide stance with your toes slightly angled outward while holding onto the kettlebell handle with an overhand grip in front of your hips.
    2. Bend your knees to lower the kettlebell between your legs to the ground, keep your torso straight, chest forward and hips back.
    3. Straighten your legs and return the kettlebell back to the starting position.

    Tips & FAQs

    • What's the difference between kettlebell sumo and goblet squat?

      The kettlebell sumo squat involves a wider stance with feet turned out, targeting the inner thighs, glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. You hold the kettlebell between your legs and squat down, keeping your chest up and back straight. The goblet squat uses a shoulder-width stance with feet slightly turned out, focusing on the quadriceps, glutes, and core. You hold the kettlebell close to your chest and squat down similarly. The sumo squat emphasizes the inner thighs and glutes more, while the goblet squat targets the quadriceps and core. Both are effective for lower body strength.

    Common Form Mistakes

    • Shoulders Forward

      Don’t allow your shoulders to roll forward. This will make it easier to reach the kettlebell towards the floor, but it will also make the exercise less effective and increase your risk of injury. Focus on keeping your shoulders back, and lower back braced.

    Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

    Average Kettlebell Sumo Squat standards by male, female, weight, age and height

    Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.

    • beginner
      8
      reps
      25
      lbs
      1 Rep Max
      30
      lbs
    • intermediate
      8
      reps
      30
      lbs
      40
      lbs
    • advanced
      8
      reps
      35
      lbs
      45
      lbs

    Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

    How is this calculated?

    Alternatives & Variations to Kettlebell Sumo Squat

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    1. 1. Seated Leg Curl

      Photo of Seated Leg Curl being performed
      98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 3,543 TIMES

      Seated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.

    2. 2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift being performed
      97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,602 TIMES

      This exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.

    3. 3. Lying Hamstrings Curl

      Photo of Lying Hamstrings Curl being performed
      95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 2,097 TIMES

      Lying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.

    4. 4. Kettlebell Swing

      Photo of Kettlebell Swing being performed
      87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,971 TIMES

      Kettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.

    5. 5. Dumbbell Sumo Squat

      Photo of Dumbbell Sumo Squat being performed
      81 mSCORESWAPPED 1,325 TIMES

      A squat exercise performed with dumbbells, in a wide-legged stance to target the legs and glutes.

    6. 6. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Single Leg Romanian Deadlift being performed
      80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 1,142 TIMES

      Single Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.

    7. 7. Deadlift

      Photo of Deadlift being performed
      98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 1,087 TIMES

      Deadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.

    8. 8. Romanian Deadlift

      Photo of Romanian Deadlift being performed
      98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,049 TIMES

      Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.

    9. 9. Good Morning

      Photo of Good Morning being performed
      90.4 mSCORESWAPPED 782 TIMES

      Good Morning’s are a compound exercise that primarily target muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), but especially the hamstrings, and lower back. While this can be an effective exercise, there is some risk to performing this exercise with a loaded barbell on your back. If you’re unfamiliar with this exercise, try starting with a dumbbell variation as you learn the movement.

    10. 10. Sumo Deadlift

      Photo of Sumo Deadlift being performed
      88.9 mSCORESWAPPED 738 TIMES

      Sumo Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. Like other Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and especially hamstrings and glutes. While this exercise receives some criticism, it’s a perfectly valid choice for building strength, and a great addition to your leg days.