Legs · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Deep Prisoner Squat
How to do the bodyweight deep prisoner squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lace your hands behind your head with elbows wide. Keeping your chest tall and heels down, squat as deep as you can with control, then drive back up to standing. The prisoner hand position forces an upright torso.
- 1Quads and glutes loading as you sink into the deep squat
- 2Chest staying tall with elbows held wide
- 3Heels pressing through the floor to stand back up
Common mistakes
- Don't let your heels lift or your knees cave in
- Avoid rounding your back at the bottom
- Don't let your elbows pull forward and collapse the chest
Muscles worked
The bodyweight deep prisoner squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the bodyweight deep prisoner squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.