Squat to Stand
A dynamic mobility drill that simultaneously works ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, hamstring length, and thoracic extension in one flowing movement. Often used as a warm-up assessment, it reveals multiple mobility restrictions simultaneously and addresses them with consistent practice.
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.
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
Target areas
Good for
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