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Rest → load, working range

Joint angles · start → finish

Torso
12.0° → 26.0°
Hip
26.0° → 88.0°
Knee
24.0° → 104.0°
Shoulder
44.0° → 52.0°
Elbow
22.0° → 26.0°
Neck
-2.0° → -2.0°

Mobility

Cossack Squat

3 × 6/side, wide stance, sit to one side with the other leg straight.

Difficulty 3 of 54.2 METs · Moderate

Equipment

  • No equipment needed

Muscle groups worked

  • Adductors
  • Glutes

What it buys you

Adductor length under load. It is the difference between a wide position being available and being endured.

Capacity trained

Mobility. Hip, adductor and thoracic range. Determines which positions are available and comfortable.

Energy

Modelled kilocalories

Modelled energy cost for Cossack Squat at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes for both reference bodies
Reference body10 min20 min30 min45 min
Male reference · 82 kg60 kcal121 kcal181 kcal271 kcal
Female reference · 68 kg50 kcal100 kcal150 kcal225 kcal

Energy figures are modelled from standard activity MET values (Ainsworth Compendium, 2011) and the ACSM equation, not measured on you. They scale linearly with your own body mass, so a body 10% heavier burns about 10% more at the same intensity.

kcal = METs × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (ACSM)

Load is effort, not pain. If a movement hurts rather than works, stop and see a clinician. Lifting another person is strength training with a person-shaped load — build the pattern unloaded first.

Cross-reference

Positions this workout helps · 51

It serves Seated Astride, Side-Lying, Seated and Supine Base. Every position in those families is listed below, hardest first.

Honest framing

Training makes a posture available and sustainable. It is capability work, not a treatment for anything, and no single session changes a number. Consistency over eight weeks does.

Free PQ assessment · 6 min

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