Deep Squat Hold

From standing, descend into a full (deep/"resting") squat: hips below the knees, feet roughly shoulder-width, toes slightly out, heels staying down, knees tracking over the toes, and the torso as upright as mobility allows. Settle into the bottom and hold, breathing and relaxing into the position. The hold loads end-range hip flexion (hip-complex) and ankle dorsiflexion (foot-ankle-rom) — often the limiting factors — and develops active, usable bottom-position mobility (mobility-vs-flexibility) for squatting (back-squat) and floor-sitting.

Coaching:

• If the heels lift or you topple backward, the ankles are usually limiting — hold light support (a rail/door frame) or elevate the heels slightly while you work on ankle mobility (exercise-ankle-mobility-drills).
• Keep the knees tracking over the toes and the spine long.
• Gently push the knees out with the elbows from inside the thighs to deepen.
• Typical dose: accumulate ~30–120 seconds, in one or several holds; can be done daily.

Use it as a warm-up position (see dynamic-warmup-overview), a mobility-maintenance habit, or a mobility assessment (how comfortably you reach and hold the bottom).

• Hold the bottom of a full squat (hips below knees, heels down, knees over toes).
• Loads end-range hip flexion and ankle dorsiflexion; builds usable squat-bottom mobility.
• Heels lifting / falling back usually signals limited ankle mobility.
• Typical dose: ~30–120 s accumulated; can be daily.

• mobility-vs-flexibility — builds active end-range mobility.
• exercise-ankle-mobility-drills — address the common ankle limiter.
• hip-complex, foot-ankle-rom — joints loaded.
• back-squat — the movement this supports.
• dynamic-warmup-overview — usable as a warm-up position.