Squat to Stand

The squat to stand is a mobility stretch where you hold your toes and move between a deep squat and a straight-legged hamstring stretch, opening your hips, ankles and upper back in one move. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 slow reps, keeping your heels planted.

Squat to Stand

Duration

2 min

Reps

8–10 reps

Sets

How to do it

1
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
2
Hinge forward and grab your toes, bending your knees as needed.
3
Keeping hold of your toes, drop your hips toward the floor into a deep squat, pushing your knees out with your elbows.
4
Raise your hips up while still holding your toes, straightening your legs as much as possible to stretch the hamstrings.
5
Repeat the drop-and-rise pattern 5 times, then stand fully upright with arms reaching overhead.

Mike's coaching cues

Hinge forward at the hips, grab your big toes and keep that grip the whole time.
Sink your hips down and use your elbows to press your knees out wide.
Lift your chest tall and proud at the bottom so your lower back gets long instead of crunched.
Keep your heels planted, and if they pop up, put a small book or rolled towel under them for now.
Go slow with no bouncing, and make each rep feel smoother than the last.

Easier option

If grabbing your toes and squatting deep is too much, hold a sturdy doorframe in front of you and only lower as far as comfortable while it supports your weight.

Benefits

Reveals and improves ankle, hip, hamstring, and thoracic mobility simultaneously
Warms up the entire lower body and posterior chain dynamically
Builds the motor pattern for a full-depth squat progressively

Common mistakes

Rushing through the movement and losing the mobility benefit
Letting the heels rise off the floor during the squat portion
Not pushing the knees out with the elbows, which limits hip depth

Common questions

What are the benefits of squat to stand?

It works your ankles, hips, hamstrings and upper back in one flowing move instead of five separate stretches. It warms up your whole lower body and back side, and it builds the pattern for a full-depth squat over time.

Is squat to stand a good warm up?

Yes. It wakes up the whole chain in a couple of minutes, which makes it a strong warm up before a workout and a good first move in the morning. It is part of my Morning Posture Wake-Up program for that reason.

Why do my heels come off the ground in a squat to stand?

That is usually your ankles telling you they are tight. Don't force it. Stand with a small book or rolled towel under your heels so you can squat deep with your feet planted, and work toward doing it flat.

What if I can't grab my toes or squat that deep?

Hold a sturdy doorframe in front of you and only lower as far as is comfortable while it supports your weight. Bend your knees as much as you need to reach your toes. Depth comes with consistent practice.

How do I add the overhead reach to squat to stand?

Once the squat feels solid, sink to the bottom with your hands free, reach both arms straight overhead with biceps by your ears, and open your chest toward the ceiling. If your lower back arches hard to get your arms up, that is tight lats and shoulders, so don't force it.

Will squat to stand fix my posture?

It opens things up and teaches your hips, spine and shoulders to move together, which helps undo long hours of sitting. It does not correct deeper alignment problems on its own, like a pelvis stuck tipped forward or rounded shoulders, so pair it with targeted corrective work.