Kettlebell Goblet Squat Kiss
Quick Intro
Kettlebell Goblet Squat Kiss takes the kettlebell goblet squat, a squat in which you hold a single kettlebell against your chest by the sides of the handle and lower the hips between the knees. You stand facing each other at arm’s length, each with your own kettlebell, and squat together, sharing a brief kiss at the top of an agreed rep, such as every third one. The weight adds real work to a movement you may already know from the bodyweight version, and the kiss stays as light as ever.
How to hold the bell, how deep to go and how to keep the elbows tracking is explained at Kettlebell Goblet Squat.
What You’ll Need
A kettlebell each, in a weight you can squat with comfortably, and a flat floor with enough space between you. Flat-soled shoes or bare feet. A mat is optional.
How to Do It Together
- Choose weights and an interval. Pick a kettlebell each that suits your strength, and agree which rep gets the kiss, for example every third.
- Face each other. Stand at arm’s length, feet about shoulder-width apart, holding the bell against the chest by the horns of the handle.
- Squat together. On a shared count, lower the hips and sit back and down, with the elbows tracking inside the knees at the bottom.
- Stand together. Drive up through the whole foot until you are both fully upright.
- Kiss on the chosen rep. On the agreed rep, take a half step in, turn the bells slightly aside, lean in over them and share a brief kiss, then step back to arm’s length.
- Carry on. Continue squatting and repeat the kiss at the interval until the set ends.
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.
The Bells Are in the Way, and That’s Manageable
A kettlebell held at the chest sits right where two people would otherwise meet. Squatting at arm’s length is fine, and when you stand tall the two of you are still a bell’s width apart. Closing that gap for a kiss takes a little choreography. The simplest approach is to step in half a pace at the top, angle the bells slightly toward the side your heads are tilting away from, and lean in from the upper back with the elbows tucked. The kettlebells can touch lightly between you, but they should not be squeezed between your bodies or knocked together. If the bells keep colliding, use lighter ones for the kiss reps or turn them a little further aside.
The kiss belongs at the top and never at the bottom. At the bottom of a goblet squat the hips are deep, the knees are bent and the load is at its heaviest, and that is exactly when you need your balance and your attention on the floor. Standing tall is when the legs are straight, the weight is easy to control and a short pause costs nothing. Rise all the way up before you lean in, and finish the kiss before you start the next descent. Do not kiss on the way up or down.
Spacing the kisses out helps. A kiss on every rep would turn the set into a series of pauses, and a few reps in a row with a bell on your chest is enough to build fatigue without going to a pause each time. Every third rep, or every fifth for a longer set, gives you a run of squatting and then a short break. Pick the interval together and stick to it. If you lose count, the nearest standing rep is as good as any.
Weight matters here as much as it does alone. Choose a kettlebell that lets you keep a tall torso and a steady pace for the whole set, with the elbows inside the knees at the bottom and no collapsing inward at the knees. If the bell pulls you forward or your lower back starts to round at depth, go lighter or reduce the depth. A bell that is too heavy makes the kiss a hazard and not a reward. Both of you should reach the top in time for the kiss, so settle on a pace that suits the slower of you.
If fatigue sets in, put the bell down with control and don’t drop it. The kiss is also optional on any rep: if either of you would rather skip it on a given round, the squat continues and nobody needs to say why.
This is a loaded step up from Squat-to-Kiss, which uses the bodyweight squat. Some couples like to begin with that and move on once the pattern feels automatic. Slow Squat Kiss Hold lingers over a kiss in a bodyweight squat, and Waist Hold Squat Kiss adds a waist hold, which suits a couple who want closeness without bells in the way.
If You’re at Different Fitness Levels
Each of you uses a kettlebell weight that matches your own strength, with a lighter bell and a shallower squat for anyone newer to the movement. Pace the set so that you both reach full standing at the same moment for the kiss. If your weights differ, you can use the same count and let the lighter bell finish its rep a little early. The stronger partner waits at the top.
Safety and Consent
Keep the elbows inside the knees at the bottom of the squat and the chest tall. Set the kettlebell down with control and never drop it if fatigue sets in. Kiss only when you are fully upright, and keep the bells turned aside so they cannot catch a chin.
Every connection moment in these exercises is something either partner can skip or scale back at any point, including this one, no explanation needed. Goblet squats with no kiss, or with a quick high-five at the top in its place, keep the set as it was.
FAQ
On which rep do we kiss? On an interval you agree before the set, such as every third rep.
What do we do with the kettlebells? Turn them slightly aside, take a half step in and lean over them.
Why not kiss at the bottom? That is when the load is heaviest and your balance matters most. Standing tall is safer.
How heavy should the bells be? Heavy enough to work, light enough to keep a tall torso and a steady pace.
What if one of us tires first? Set the bell down with control and finish the set at your own pace.
Can I do goblet squats on my own? Yes. Kettlebell Goblet Squat covers the solo exercise.
Built on Kettlebell Goblet Squat. Squat-to-Kiss is the bodyweight version of the same idea, and Waist Hold Squat Kiss adds a waist hold to a kissing squat.