Counter squat
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
A shallow squat holding a counter. It trains the thighs and hips you use to get up from a chair or a toilet.
- Main focus
- Strength
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
A sturdy counter or the back of a heavy chair.
How to do it
- Stand facing the counter, feet about hip-width apart, hands resting on it.
- Slowly bend your knees and push your hips back, only as far as is comfortable. Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
- Keep your chest up and your back straight.
- Squeeze your buttocks as you slowly stand back up.
How much
To start: 3 to 5 shallow squats, once.
As it gets easier: 5 to 10 squats, once or twice.
How it should feel: Your thighs should work. You should not feel it in your knee joints.
Make it easier
- Bend only a little way.
- Do sit-to-stand from a chair instead.
Make it harder
- Bend a little deeper, still only as far as is comfortable.
- Use only your fingertips on the counter.
Safety
- Keep your weight over your whole foot, not on your toes.
- Do not let your knees fall inward.
- Breathe out as you stand up. Do not hold your breath.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
- You feel pain in a knee or hip, or a catching in the joint.
- Your knees give way.
Connected exercises
- Sit-to-stand · An easier way
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
NHS "Mini-squats": hands on a chair back, hip-width feet, bend knees as far as comfortable, knees forward, straight back, squeeze buttocks standing, repeat 5 times. Name and squat pattern from the screened catalog entry; text is original. Steps, counts and support advice follow the NHS page; wording and extra safety notes are Fitafter50's own.
- Strength exercises, NHS (England) (Last reviewed 28 Feb 2024).
- Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability, National Institute on Aging, NIH (Content reviewed Jan. 14, 2025).
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.