10 Best Potty Squat Alternatives for Home Workouts

Original Exercise: Potty Squat

Primary Muscle

Abs

Equipment

Body-weight

Difficulty

Beginner

Type

Compound

Secondary Muscles: Quadriceps, Glutes

How to Perform Potty Squat

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Lower your body down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if you were sitting on a chair.
3. Keep your chest up and your back straight throughout the movement.
4. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground or as low as you can comfortably go.
5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Potty Squat Alternatives

Best Match

1. Bodyweight Squat

80.2% Match

Quads Body-weight Beginner Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. You can place your hands behind your head. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin the movement by flexing your knees and hips, sitting back with your hips.
3. Continue down to full depth if you are able,and quickly reverse the motion until you return to the starting position. As you squat, keep your head and chest up and push your knees out.

2. Bodyweight Squatting Row

77.8% Match

Lats Body-weight Beginner Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding onto a sturdy object or suspension trainer with your arms extended.
2. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your knees behind your toes.
3. From the squat position, pull your body up towards the object or suspension trainer, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

3. Bodyweight Drop Jump Squat

75.7% Match

Glutes Body-weight Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower your body into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
3. Jump up explosively, extending your hips, knees, and ankles.
4. While in mid-air, quickly bring your feet together.
5. Land softly on the balls of your feet and immediately drop back into a squat position.

4. Bodyweight Squatting Row (with Towel)

75.7% Match

Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a towel in front of you with your palms facing down.
2. Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your chest up.
3. As you lower into the squat, simultaneously pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Pause for a moment at the bottom of the squat, then slowly return to the starting position while extending your arms.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

5. Dumbbell Squat To A Bench

73.1% Match

Quadriceps Dumbbell Beginner Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand up straight with a flat bench behind you while holding a dumbbell on each hand (palms facing the side of your legs).
2. Position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times as looking down will get you off balance and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position. Note: For the purposes of this discussion we will use the medium stance described above which targets overall development; however you can choose any of the three stances discussed in the foot stances section.
3. Begin to slowly lower your torso by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until you slightly touch the bench behind you. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: If you performed the exercise correctly, the front of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the front. If your knees are past that imaginary line (if they are past your toes) then you are placing undue stress on the knee and the exercise has been performed incorrectly.
4. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel of your foot mainly as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

6. Bench Jump

72.6% Match

Quads Body-weight Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Begin with a box or bench 1-2 feet in front of you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
2. Perform a short squat in preparation for the jump; swing your arms behind you.
3. Rebound out of this position, extending through the hips, knees, and ankles to jump as high as possible. Swing your arms forward and up.
4. Jump over the bench, landing with the knees bent, absorbing the impact through the legs.
5. Turn around and face the opposite direction, then jump back over the bench.

7. Chair Squat

72.3% Match

Quads Machine Beginner Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. To begin, first set the bar to a position that best matches your height. Once the bar is loaded, step under it and position it across the back of your shoulders.
2. Take the bar with your hands facing forward, unlock it and lift it off the rack by extending your legs.
3. Move your feet forward about 18 inches in front of the bar. Position your legs using a shoulder width stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Look forward at all times and maintain a neutral or slightly arched spine. This will be your starting position.
4. Slowly lower the bar by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until the angle between the upper and lower leg breaks 90 degrees.
5. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heels of your feet, extending the knees and returning to the starting position.

8. Depth Jump Leap

72% Match

Quadriceps Other Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. For this drill you will need two boxes or benches, one 12 to 16 inches high and the other 22 to 26 inches high.
2. Stand on one of the two boxes with arms at the sides; feet should be together and slightly off the edge as in the depth jump. Place the other box approximately two or three feet in front of and facing the performer.
3. Begin by dropping off the initial box, landing and simultaneously taking off with both feet.
4. Rebound by driving upward and outward as intensely as possible, using the arms and full extension of the body to jump onto the higher box. Again, allow the legs to absorb the impact.

9. Box Jump (Multiple Response)

72% Match

Glutes Other Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Assume a relaxed stance facing the box or platform approximately an arm's length away. Arms should be down at the sides and legs slightly bent.
2. Using the arms to aid in the initial burst, jump upward and forward, landing with feet simultaneously on top of the box or platform.
3. Immediately drop or jump back down to the original starting place; then repeat the sequence.

10. Backward Jump

71.8% Match

Quads Body-weight Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees slightly and jump backwards, pushing off with both feet.
3. Land softly on the balls of your feet, bending your knees to absorb the impact.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Potty Squat Alternative

You might substitute the Potty Squat because of limited hip mobility, lower-back pain, lack of confidence with the movement, or simply no access to a partner or setup. Alternatives let you target the same abdominal musculature while controlling lumbar position and reducing shear forces on the spine. For example, a hollow body hold emphasizes anterior core bracing and reduces hip flexor dominance; reverse crunches bias lower rectus activation through spinal flexion. Use cues like "tuck your pelvis," "keep ribs down," and "exhale on contraction" to maintain correct biomechanics and safe muscle activation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on movement pattern, loading capacity, and your limiting factor. If your goal is static bracing and pelvic control, pick hollow holds and add time-under-tension; cue a posterior pelvic tilt and full breath control. If you need dynamic spinal flexion, choose reverse crunches or V-sits and perform slow controlled reps with a tucked chin and exhale on ascent. If lumbar stress is a concern, use dead bugs or slow plank knee tucks to train anti-extension with neutral spine. Progress by increasing hold time, range of motion, or rep tempo while monitoring rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis engagement.

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