The Goku Squat

Monday 03.01.22.

The Goku Squat

I don’t really have much time for questions like “If you could only do one stretch for the rest of your life, what would it be” because…under what circumstances would that problem ever arise? How would you enforce it? But if I could choose one stretch/exercise for a mean drill instructor to make me do every day, it would be the Goku Squat.

Most people call the Goku Squat the Cossack Squat, because it looks a bit like the kind of thing you’d see a dude do in those old Red Army dancing videos. I call it the Goku Squat because it’s the same one Goku from DBZ has been doing for 20 years, while evolving into the world’s greatest fighter. It does a lot: including developing dynamic flexibility in the hips, groin and hamstrings, improving ankle mobility and . developing strength in the quads, glutes and hamstrings. It also works your core strength and stability, and somehow it just makes you feel…better? Looser? Less likely to get a groin strain? Anyway, I love it. It’s rare that I don’t do at least a couple of sets of 10 in a warmup, but sometimes I’ll just throw extra sets in when I’m doing upper-body sets for strength.

Start by taking a wide stance with your toes pointing out. Start the motion by shifting your weight to one side as you squat, making sure your knee tracks over your toes and the foot on the “working side” stays flat on the ground. Your opposite leg should be straight and you want to lift your toes off the ground and point them to the ceiling as the heel remains on the ground. Ideally, slide from side to side instead of coming up and down with each rep: it keeps constant tension on the legs and keeps your adductors limber, so you don’t tear anything when you go for the Meteor Combination.

Monday 03.01.22.

1A Incline bench (60% of BP max): 3 x 8
1B Pullups: 3 x 10

2A Incline flye: 3 x 10
2B Reverse incline flye: 3 x 10

3A Arm-over-arm pull: 6 x 20m
3B Press-up: 6 x 15

4A Dips: 15, 12, 10
4B Ab wheel rollout: 3 x 10