Squatting deep isn't just a gym goal. You use that same range of motion every time you sit down into a low chair, pick something up off the floor, or get down to play with a kid or a pet. When your hips and ankles won't cooperate, your body finds workarounds, usually in your lower back or knees, and that's when things start to ache.
For a lot of people, the real block isn't strength. It's mobility. Tight hips and stiff ankles quietly limit how low you can go, long before your muscles ever fatigue. That can be discouraging too, especially if you used to move more freely and now feel stuck watching from the sidelines of a workout class or a family game on the floor.
So, how do you open up that range and squat deeper without pain? These five mobility exercises target the hips and ankles specifically, the two joints most responsible for squat depth. Read on to find out how to do them.
5 Hip and Ankle Mobility Exercises for a Deeper Squat
1. Standing Hip Openers
To do this exercise, stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and brace your core lightly. Shift your weight onto one leg and lift the opposite knee up in front of you. Keeping the knee bent, rotate the lifted leg outward from the hip so the knee opens out to the side, then bring it back to the front and lower your foot to the floor. Repeat with control, then switch sides. Keep your torso upright and your standing leg stable the whole time.
To make this easier, hold onto a wall or a sturdy chair for balance while you go through the same hip-opening motion.
To make this harder, slow the movement down and pause briefly with the knee opened to the side before you return it, without using momentum to carry you through.
Keep the motion coming from your hip, not your torso or pelvis, and don't force your leg past a comfortable range. Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the hip, groin, knee, or lower back.
2. Supine Hip Internal and External Rotation
To do this exercise, lie on your back with your hips and knees bent to about 90 degrees, knees together and feet lifted off the floor. Keep your lower back and pelvis relaxed and still. Slowly move your feet apart while keeping your knees together, then reverse it by bringing your feet together while letting your knees drift apart. Move smoothly between the two positions without forcing the range.
To make this easier, limit how far your feet and knees travel, staying within a range you can control without your pelvis shifting.
To make this harder, slow each direction down and add a brief pause at the end of your comfortable range before reversing.
Let the movement come from your hips, not a twist through your pelvis or lower back. Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the hips, groin, knees, or lower back.
3. Lizard Pose
To do this exercise, start in a half-kneeling position with one foot forward and the opposite knee resting on the floor. Place both hands on the floor inside your front foot. Keeping the front foot planted, gradually shift your hips forward and down, letting the front knee bend as you sink deeper into the lunge. Keep your back knee grounded and only go as far as you can comfortably control. Pause briefly at your deepest comfortable position, then shift back up and switch sides.
To make this easier, place your hands on yoga blocks or a sturdy bench instead of the floor, which reduces how much hip mobility you need to reach the position.
To make this harder, lower onto your forearms from the lizard lunge position if your mobility allows, which deepens the stretch.
Move slowly and avoid letting your front knee collapse inward. Stop if you feel sharp or persistent pain in the hip, groin, knee, or lower back.
4. Deep Lunge Ankle Mobilization
To do this exercise, start in a half-kneeling lunge with your front foot planted flat on the floor and your back knee resting on the ground. Keeping your front heel firmly down, slowly shift your body forward so your front knee travels forward over your toes, moving as far as your ankle comfortably allows without the heel lifting. Pause briefly, then shift back and repeat before switching sides.
To make this easier, move your knee forward through a smaller range, or use a wall or stable surface for support.
To make this harder, gradually shift farther forward while keeping your entire front foot, especially the heel, planted, pausing briefly at your deepest controlled position.
Keep your knee tracking in line with your toes rather than letting it collapse inward, and don't force it farther forward than feels right. Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the ankle, knee, or foot.
5. Seated Toe Sit Stretch
To do this exercise, start in a kneeling position with the tops of your feet resting on the floor and your toes pointing behind you. Slowly sit your hips back toward your heels, putting more pressure through the tops of your feet and ankles. From there, place your hands on the floor behind you and gradually lean your upper body back, letting your knees lift off the floor as you increase the stretch through the front of your ankles and feet. Move only as far as you can comfortably control, then reverse and return to upright.
To make this easier, stay upright while sitting your hips toward your heels without leaning back or lifting your knees.
To make this harder, lean farther back with your hands supporting you and let your knees lift higher while staying in control.
Increase the pressure gradually rather than forcing your ankles into a deeper position. Stop if you feel sharp pain, pinching, numbness, or excessive discomfort in the ankles, feet, toes, or knees.
Remember: Your Squat Depth Isn't Just About Your Hips
It's tempting to blame one stiff joint for a shallow squat, but your hips and ankles work as a team here, along with your core and your feet. Improving mobility in one area often reveals a limit in another, and that's normal. Progress with these exercises tends to be gradual, and that's exactly how joint mobility should be built: slowly, consistently, and without forcing a range your body isn't ready for yet.
Want a deeper dive into keeping your hips strong and mobile for the long run? Our Hip 101 guide walks you through the right way to keep your hips healthy, covering the mobility work, strengthening, and everyday habits that keep your squat, your stride, and your daily movement pain-free.