Bodyweight Squat to Stand
A mobility drill that folds forward, grips the toes, drops into a deep squat, then lifts the hips back into the fold.
How to do it
- Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart and the toes slightly out.
- Hinge forward, keep the legs nearly straight, and grip the toes of each foot.
- Bend the knees and drop the hips into a deep squat while lifting the chest, hands still on the toes.
- Push the knees out with the elbows if they fit inside the thighs, and keep the heels down.
- Straighten the legs slowly and lift the hips back into the forward fold without releasing the toes.
- Cycle between the squat and the fold for the desired reps, then stand up.
Key technique cue
Heels down, keep hold of the toes; elbows push the knees out at the bottom.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Rounding the lower back hard in the fold instead of hinging from the hips.
- ✕ Letting the heels lift, which collapses the squat and loses the ankle range.
- ✕ Releasing the toes at the bottom so the drill becomes an ordinary squat.
- ✕ Forcing a depth the hips and ankles cannot own, which tucks the pelvis.
Benefits
- ✓ Links a hamstring fold to a deep squat so both ranges are trained in one cycle.
- ✓ Needs no equipment and little space, so it fits warm-ups anywhere.
- ✓ Preps the hips, ankles, and posterior chain for later squatting.
Progression: from easier to harder
-
Step 1 You are here - Bodyweight Squat to Stand
-
Step 2
About the exercise
The squat to stand is a bodyweight mobility cycle, not a loaded squat. From a standing fold you hold the toes, bend the knees, and sink the hips into a deep squat with the chest lifting, then straighten the legs and raise the hips back into the hamstring stretch without letting go of the feet. The drill links a forward fold to a full squat so the hamstrings, hips, and ankles travel through both ranges in one loop. It is the warm-up partner of a bodyweight squat: same stance, no load, hands on the toes.
Updated
Similar exercises
A week of training and meals built for you
Workoutify plans workouts around your days, time and equipment — and a menu for your goal and macros.