I’m a personal trainer: Why 'gorilla squats' are the only move you need for deep hip mobility

Writer Sam performing wide variation of yogi squat — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Gorilla squats are great for increasing lower-body mobility and opening up tight groins, so if you're on the hunt for a new move that offers deep hip mobility, let me introduce you to one of my favorite exercises.

To do the gorilla squat, simply take a wider than shoulder-width stance and drop down into the bottom of the squat position; from here, lift your chest, sit your butt down and place your hands flat on the floor in front of you (a book or yoga block works well if you can't get your hands flat). To make this more dynamic, lift your butt and straighten your legs, coming into a forward fold and move between the two positions.

How to do the gorilla squat

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Check out exercise two from my short mobility routine above. Confusingly, this exercise also gets the name "froggies." The fitness world likes to have multiple names for the same exercise, but whichever name you go with, it's bound to set your legs on fire while delivering a deep stretch into your hamstrings, groin and hips.

Ideally, though, your hands will be flat on the mat throughout, so a prop to elevate your hands on can be helpful.

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width
Sit your butt down into a deep squat. Slightly turn your toes out, keep your heels planted and push your knees out in line with your toes
Place your hands on the ground and lift your chest
Stay here for a breath or two, then lift your hips, straighten your legs (a soft bend in the knees is ideal if you have tight hamstrings) and fold over your legs
Send your gaze between your legs and stay here for a few breaths
Reverse the movement to sit back into the squat
You can speed this up to spend one breath on each part of the move.

What do gorilla squats work?

Gorilla squats open your hips and groin and work the quads and hamstrings. To stay upright, you'll need some existing thoracic mobility, so if you struggle getting to this position, place a block under your butt or hands.

From here, you'll move into a posture similar to a forward fold, which will stretch your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Focus on flattening your hands and pulling your shoulders back and down to maintain proper posture. If you're tight in your hips, hamstrings, or back, you might not notice hunching, so try to be aware of this; over time, you should feel more comfortable in each part of the move, and may even sit deeper into the squat or straighten the legs more.

Gorilla squats open your hips and groin and work the quads and hamstrings.

It’s worth reinforcing that a stretching routine can be effective, but long-term, a mix of mobility work and flexibility is more impactful for increasing range of motion and helping you move more freely.

Breathe, engage your core and watch your mobility transform.

I recommend adding gorilla squats to an existing mobility routine and repeating several times per week. If you have an injury, health condition, or are pre or post-natal, speak with your physician before starting a new exercise regimen.

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Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.

Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.

Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells.

She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.

Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.

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