Gorilla Squat: Understanding, Benefits, and How to Perform

What Does a Gorilla Squat?

A "gorilla squat" refers to a deep, bodyweight squat that emphasizes full range of motion, often reaching a low, relaxed bottom position where the hips are below the knees, and the torso is upright, mimicking the resting posture of a primate. It is primarily a mobility and foundational strength exercise, rather than a specific weighted lift.

Understanding the Gorilla Squat: A Foundational Movement

The term "gorilla squat" is not a formally defined exercise in the same vein as a back squat or front squat. Instead, it's a descriptive term used to characterize a deep, natural, and often unweighted squat that prioritizes mobility, stability, and control through the full range of hip and ankle flexion. Unlike loaded squats focused on maximal strength, the gorilla squat encourages a relaxed yet stable bottom position, allowing for exploration of end-range mobility. It's a primal human movement pattern, often lost in modern sedentary lifestyles, that can be rediscovered and improved upon.

Anatomy and Biomechanics: Muscles Engaged

The gorilla squat, while appearing simple, engages a vast network of muscles for both movement and stabilization, highlighting its comprehensive benefits.

• Primary Movers:
  • Quadriceps: (Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Intermedius) - Extend the knee during the ascent.
  • Gluteus Maximus: Extends the hip during the ascent and stabilizes the pelvis.
  • Hamstrings: (Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus) - Assist in hip extension and knee flexion during descent, and co-contract for knee stability.
• Stabilizer Muscles:
  • Core Muscles: (Rectus Abdominis, Obliques, Transverse Abdominis, Erector Spinae) - Maintain a neutral spine and trunk rigidity throughout the movement.
  • Adductor Magnus: Assists the glutes in hip extension.
  • Hip Abductors: (Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus) - Prevent knee valgus (knees caving inward).
  • Calves: (Gastrocnemius, Soleus) - Crucial for ankle dorsiflexion, allowing for deep squat depth without heels lifting.
  • Thoracic Erectors: Maintain an upright torso.

Joint Actions: The movement involves simultaneous flexion at the hips, knees, and ankles during the descent, followed by extension at these joints during the ascent. Adequate ankle dorsiflexion and hip mobility are paramount for achieving full depth without compensation.

Benefits of Incorporating the Gorilla Squat

Regular practice of the gorilla squat offers a multitude of physiological and functional advantages:

• Enhanced Mobility: Significantly improves hip and ankle mobility, which are crucial for athletic performance and daily functional movements. It also promotes thoracic spine extension.
• Improved Stability: Strengthens the core and lower body stabilizing muscles, leading to better balance and proprioception.
• Functional Strength: Re-establishes a fundamental human movement pattern, translating to greater ease and efficiency in activities like lifting, sitting, and standing.
• Reduced Injury Risk: By improving joint range of motion and muscular coordination, it can mitigate compensations and reduce stress on vulnerable joints during other exercises or daily activities.
• Accessibility and Versatility: As primarily a bodyweight exercise, it requires no equipment and can be performed almost anywhere. It serves as an excellent warm-up, mobility drill, or even a low-intensity strength exercise.
• Postural Improvement: Encourages an upright posture and strengthens the muscles responsible for maintaining a neutral spine.

How to Perform a Gorilla Squat with Proper Form

Achieving a true gorilla squat requires attention to detail and patience, especially if your current mobility is limited.

1. Starting Position: Stand with feet approximately shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward (5-15 degrees, depending on comfort and hip anatomy). Ensure your weight is evenly distributed across your feet.
2. Initiate the Descent: Begin by pushing your hips back and down, as if sitting into a chair. Simultaneously, allow your knees to track outward, in line with your toes. Maintain a neutral spine and keep your chest lifted.
3. Achieve Depth: Continue descending until your hips are below your knees, aiming for the deepest comfortable squat position. Your heels should remain flat on the floor. In the "gorilla" style, you might allow your hands to lightly touch the floor between your legs or rest your elbows inside your knees.
4. Bottom Position: At the deepest point, strive for a balanced, stable position. Your spine should remain relatively neutral, avoiding excessive rounding of the lower back. This is often where the "gorilla" aspect comes in – a comfortable, relaxed hold.
5. Ascent: Drive through your heels and the midfoot, extending your hips and knees simultaneously to return to the standing position. Maintain core engagement throughout.
6. Breathing: Inhale as you descend, and exhale as you ascend.

Key Cues: "Sit deep," "knees out," "chest proud," "heels down," "find your balance."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While the gorilla squat emphasizes natural movement, certain errors can limit its effectiveness or increase injury risk:

• Rounding the Lower Back (Butt Wink): This indicates a lack of hip mobility or control. Focus on maintaining a neutral spine, even if it means not going as deep initially.
• Knees Caving In (Valgus Collapse): Often due to weak hip abductors or poor motor control. Actively push your knees out throughout the movement.
• Heels Lifting Off the Floor: A common sign of insufficient ankle dorsiflexion. Work on ankle mobility drills or temporarily elevate your heels slightly.
• Insufficient Depth: Not reaching full depth limits the mobility benefits. Prioritize depth over speed or repetition.
• Rushing the Movement: Moving too quickly can compromise form and stability. Control both the descent and ascent.
• Looking Down: Can cause cervical spine flexion and lead to overall postural breakdown. Keep your gaze forward or slightly upward.

Who Can Benefit from the Gorilla Squat?

The gorilla squat is remarkably versatile and beneficial for a wide range of individuals:

• Athletes: Improves hip power, agility, and resilience, translating to better performance in sports requiring explosive lower body movements.
• Fitness Enthusiasts: Enhances overall body control, mobility, and foundational strength, making other exercises more effective and safer.
• Individuals with Sedentary Lifestyles: Counteracts the negative effects of prolonged sitting by improving hip and ankle mobility and restoring natural movement patterns.
• Older Adults: Improves balance, functional independence, and lower body strength, reducing fall risk.
• Anyone Seeking Improved Mobility: It's a cornerstone exercise for improving range of motion in the hips, ankles, and thoracic spine.

Progression and Regressions

To make the gorilla squat accessible to all levels and to continually challenge progress:

• Regressions (Making it Easier):
  • Holding Onto Support: Use a sturdy pole, doorframe, or TRX strap to assist with balance and depth.
  • Elevated Heels: Place small weight plates or a slant board under your heels to compensate for limited ankle mobility.
  • Box Squat: Squat to a box or bench behind you, ensuring you hit a consistent depth and can control the eccentric phase.
• Progressions (Making it Harder):
  • Pause Squats: Hold the bottom position for 5-10 seconds to increase time under tension and improve stability.
  • Tempo Squats: Slow down the eccentric (descent) phase (e.g., 3-5 seconds down).
  • Adding Light Load: Progress to a goblet squat with a light dumbbell or kettlebell held at the chest, which can actually help counterbalance and deepen the squat.
  • Single-Leg Variations: Progress towards pistol squats, starting with assisted versions.

Integrating the Gorilla Squat into Your Routine

The gorilla squat can be seamlessly integrated into various parts of your fitness routine:

• Warm-up: Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 repetitions to prime the lower body and improve joint mobility before a workout.
• Mobility Drill: Use it as a dedicated mobility session, holding the bottom position for extended periods (e.g., 30-60 seconds) or performing slow, controlled repetitions.
• Strength Training: Incorporate it as a bodyweight strength exercise, focusing on perfect form and controlled movement.
• Active Recovery/Cool-down: Gentle repetitions can help improve blood flow and range of motion after intense exercise.

By understanding and consistently practicing the gorilla squat, you can unlock greater mobility, build foundational strength, and reclaim a powerful, natural human movement pattern.