The Frog Squat: A Complete Guide From First Rep to Advanced Variations

Quick Intro

Frog squat is a mobility exercise performed by sinking into a deep squat with the heels flat on the ground, then using the elbows to press the knees outward and hold that wide position.

Equipment Needed

No equipment required.

Why Frog Squat Matters

Frog squat asks the inner thighs (adductors), the glutes (gluteus maximus), the hip flexors (iliopsoas) and both calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) to lengthen at the same time, under the body’s own weight, in a position most people never hold for more than a second or two in daily life. The elbows-against-knees press turns a regular deep squat into an active stretch, since the arms add outward pressure the legs alone wouldn’t otherwise apply.

Frog squat tests range and builds it in the same hold. The position shows how far the hips, groin and ankles can move together. Holding it with the body’s weight on the legs then trains that range under load, which a passive stretch does not do.

Frog squat is overwhelmingly a flexibility exercise, with light muscular endurance and balance carryover from holding the deep position steady.

When to Do It

Frog squat fits best as part of a hip-mobility warm-up before squats, lunges or any lower-body training, or as a standalone hold on a day focused on opening the hips and groin. It’s demanding enough on tight ankles and hips that it’s rarely useful as a true first move before the joints have any warm-up at all.

The knees carry the load whenever the hips run out of their own range, which is where the risk sits:

• Knee discomfort from the wide, deep position. Frog squat asks the knees to track out over the toes through a large range under body weight, which can aggravate an already sensitive knee. Reducing depth, keeping the stance narrower or skipping the hold on a bad knee day are reasonable adjustments.

For most people with reasonably mobile hips already, this is an effective way to open the groin and hips together.

Getting Ready

A minute of bodyweight squats and a few hip circles warm up the hips and ankles before asking them to hold this deeper, wider position.

Keep the heels flat on the ground throughout the hold. Heels that lift indicate the ankles or hips don’t yet have the range this position asks for, and forcing depth past that point shifts strain onto the knees instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Starting position. Stand with the feet wider than shoulder-width, toes turned out slightly.

2. The descent. Sink into a deep squat, keeping the heels flat and the chest reasonably upright, until the elbows can reach the inside of the knees.

3. The hold. Press the elbows gently against the knees to open them wider, and hold that position while breathing steadily.

Keep the heels down throughout the hold, since letting them rise off the floor is the fastest way to lose the position this drill is built around.

How Many, How Often

Letting the heels lift to fake extra depth is the easiest way to make the position look deeper while quietly giving up the exact range the exercise is meant to build, so flat heels matter more here than how low the hips sit.

Modifications and Variations

Frog squat connects to one alternative.

As an alternative technique, Cossack Squat opens the hips and groin through a shifting side-to-side squat, trading the static hold of frog squat for a moving, unilateral stretch.

Standing with a narrower stance and less depth, or holding onto a sturdy support for balance, are reasonable ways to reduce the demand while the hips and ankles build range.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the heels lift off the floor. Heels coming up means the ankles and hips have run out of range, and the knees start absorbing the difference instead, which is exactly the trade this position is meant to avoid. Flat heels keep the hold honest.

Rounding the lower back to force more depth. Chasing a deeper squat by curling the spine forward trades hip and ankle range for lower back strain. Keeping the chest reasonably upright, even in a shallower position, is the safer trade.

Forcing the knees wider than the hips can comfortably allow. Pressing hard with the elbows before the hips have the range can stress the knee joint without opening the hip. A gentler press, building gradually over sessions, is the safer approach.

Holding the breath through the position. Bracing against the stretch and forgetting to breathe makes the hold feel more difficult than it needs to be and limits how much the hips relax into the position. Breathing slowly and steadily throughout helps the tissue release.

After Your Set

Frog squat already stretches the hips, groin and ankles directly as part of the hold itself, so very little extra is needed afterward. Coming up slowly and shaking out the legs for a few seconds restores normal circulation to the legs before standing back up. A brief standing forward fold afterward gives the hamstrings a different stretch than the one this position targets.

Going Deeper

This hold is a useful way to check hip and ankle range honestly, since it’s difficult to fake the position with poor form the way a less demanding stretch can be faked. Anyone who struggles to sit into a deep squat with heels down during regular training often finds that frog squat, held for a longer time rather than trained for reps, directly improves that specific limitation.

The limiting factor is almost always ankle and hip range rather than strength or balance. Tight calves in particular tend to force the heels up before the hips have run out of room, which is why calf mobility work outside this specific hold often unlocks more depth than repeating the hold alone. Widening the stance and easing off the elbow press tends to be the more productive adjustment for a stiff body, more so than forcing the same narrow stance deeper.

Someone with average hip and ankle mobility can generally reach a comfortable 20-second hold with the heels flat within the first one to two weeks, with 30 seconds at a wider stance following somewhere in the four to six week range.

How to Know You’re Improving

Progress on frog squat moves through four fairly distinct stages:

1. A 20-second hold with the heels staying completely flat
2. A 30-second hold with a wider stance and the elbows pressing the knees further out
3. A visibly lower hip position at the bottom of the hold
4. Standing back up from the hold without needing to touch the floor for support

Whether the heels stay flat for the entire hold, not just the first few seconds, is the clearest sign the hips and ankles are opening.

Muscles Worked

• Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, opening wide as the knees spread in the deep squat)
• Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, driving the hips up out of the bottom)
• Iliopsoas (the deep hip flexor at the front of the hip, keeping the torso upright at full depth)
• Gastrocnemius (the larger calf muscle nearer the surface, lengthening as the ankles reach full bend)
• Soleus (a deeper calf muscle beneath the gastrocnemius, taking the same stretch deeper at the ankle)

FAQ

Why can’t I keep my heels down in this position? That usually points to limited ankle or hip range. A narrower stance and less depth at first, building gradually, is the expected starting point.

Is frog squat a stretch or an exercise? Both, in a combined form. Holding a deep, weight-bearing position trains range under load, which passive stretching does not.

Should I feel this more in my hips or my knees? Mostly the hips, groin and ankles. Knee discomfort is a different signal, a sign to reduce depth or stance width.

How long should I hold the position? 15 to 20 seconds is a reasonable starting point, building toward 30 seconds as the hips and ankles gain range. Longer isn’t automatically better if the heels start lifting before the time is up.

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Next in this series: Hip Circles, a standing hip mobility drill performed in large controlled circles.