This assessment enables the trainer to analyze every part of the kinetic chain for proper function. 4. This is a squat variation, as you hold a heavy load above your head while you squat. The overhead squat provides a significant challenge to many athletes. Overhead Squat Workouts (WODs) (sorted by relevant) Menu Get a Custom Workout Program Browse Popular WODs (Free) ‍♂️ Hero WODs ️ Memorial, Tribute, & Holiday WODs ️ Classic Benchmark WODs ️ Coach Creation WODs Limited Equipment WODs First, this position will improve overall trunk stability (specific to this lift). Table 3: Scoring sheet for Overhead Squat. Any other type of squat is superior since the limiting factor on the overhead squat is holding the weight overhead, not leg strength. Well, the overhead squat is the worst squat for that purpose. Next, the athlete raises his or her arms overhead without arching the back or letting the rib cage flare. Position your hands slightly wider than you might for a back squat so that they're closer to where the plates are loaded. It's often due to a lack of engagement of the glutes, particularly the glute medius. By using Verywell Fit, you accept our, Master Proper Squat Form With the Goblet Squat, Good Form Equals Good Glutes With the Romanian Deadlift, How to do Wall Angels: Techniques, Benefits, Variations, How to Do Barbell Thrusters the Right Way. The most important technique note with the overhead squat that we need to discuss is the torso position. From here, rack the barbell safely. If you're just getting started, you may want to skip the heavy resistance and opt for an unloaded barbell or even a broomstick or PVC pipe to see how the exercise feels. From there, I have the athlete press lightweights overhead to get more comfortable in this position. The squat movement and core/shoulder stability is exactly the same, but instead of supporting a barbell overhead with both arms, you support a dumbbell overhead with one arm at a time. You'd use a lot more weight and be able to do more reps with conventional squats, Zercher squats , or front squats. Ⓒ 2020 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. If you lean forward from the hips, the weight will also shift forward and you're likely to lose your balance or make other form mistakes to compensate for the misalignment of weight. Squat down as far as you comfortably can, even to the point where your glutes are almost grazing your heels. Quite commonly, over time, this CAN result in shoulder injuries. It works on body strength and stability. A very small percentage of people can perform the overhead squat properly when they first walk into the gym. Drop into the bottom of a squat holding a lightweight. The overhead squat is the most challenging position that a strength athlete is going to ever need to achieve. All Rights Reserved . Depending on your strength, mobility, and comfort level with the movement, you may or may not need plate weights to add extra resistance to the exercise. Even if you just squat down a few inches, pressing your hips back as you try to "sit" on your ankles, you can gradually increase your range of motion with time. The routine has you squat three times a week for six weeks, with one set of 20 squats each workout. Finally, if you experience any sharp or shooting pains, stop the exercise. Perform the movement steadily, keeping your knees angled out slightly in alignment with your toes. Some of these program spreadsheets are better suited for meet prep or peaking, while others are better for off-season training. Note: if mobility is what is limiting your overhead squat performance, I suggest checking out the following programs: Ready to get moving better? Some athletes who have good ankle mobility won’t use it duirng their overhead squat. Olympic weightlifting National Champion James Tatum demonstrates below. While they do help with stability, most often I use them to dial in technique. When an athlete can’t keep a more upright torso, extra stress is applied to the soft tissues of the anterior shoulder. [1] The overhead squat test is considered highly practical and time efficient.[2] I like HBT work for many exercises because they punish an athlete when they move out of position, making them a great exercise to rapidly force an athlete to dial in technique with an exercise as complex as an overhead squat. Some guys act like a week or two of specialized work will kill them. Performed with proper form and an appropriate level of resistance, overhead squats can be appropriate for almost everyone. The overhead squat is a dynamic movement assessment. You can do this with a barbell and weights hanging from bands, but I prefer to use my Yoak as the light bar combined with heavier swinging weights makes the stabilization aspect a bit tougher for me. Use your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core as you press through your feet and fully extend your knees and hips as you return to the starting position. This is the starting position. For this reason it is an indispensable tool for developing speed and power. Similarly, it develops the squat by amplifying and cruelly punishing faults in posture, movement, and stability. The goal is to keep the barbell "stacked" over your feet throughout the movement, which means your torso must remain upright. They’ll over arch their lumbar spine, flaring their rib cage up due to mobility restrictions in their thoracic spine or shoulders, or at times just due to poor motor control. To stabilize the barbell overhead, you must use your abdominals, spinal erectors, shoulder stabilizers, traps, delts, and triceps. This results in a forward torso angle even though they don’t need to squat that way. It is usually performed with the heels elevated to allow for greater squat depth. The overhead squat is a total body exercise that can be beneficial for strength, power and fitness athletes. Even though you aren't actively moving these muscle groups through a range of motion as you squat, the simple act of correct stabilization enhances the type of strength that can help protect your muscles and joints from injury. Depending on your strength, mobility, and comfort level with the movement, you may or may not need plate weights to add extra resistance to the exercise. This places more load on the quadriceps, rather than the glutes, while also necessitating greater engagement of the core, shoulders, and upper back. The overhead squat is one of those exercises that really does target the entire body, and when done correctly, it can provide increases in strength, flexibility, and mobility that you can transfer to other exercises and everyday life. Perform a full set, then carefully bend your elbows and return the barbell to your shoulders. I instruct them to place enough tension on the band so that it is pulling the knees forward of the toes. During a traditional squat, you can compensate for these weaknesses by leaning forward excessively from the hips as you squat down, allowing you to "cheat" the movement. As you master proper form and are able to move through a more full range of motion, start adding resistance and include the movement as part of your strength training protocol. Unlike the air squat or the back squat, though, the overhead squat requires you to keep your torso more upright in order to sufficiently support the barbell overhead. @dr.joelseedman_ahp really got me into hanging band technique work. It's better to start with a small range of motion and proper form than risk injury by leaning forward as you squat. Don't let the feeling of awkwardness stop you from incorporating the move into your workout, though. And it gets better—every time you perform the 20 reps, you’re expected to … Overhead squats, 115 lb. If you can't get to the "ass to grass" position, simply go as deep into the squat as you can while maintaining perfect form. What does the Overhead Squat Flexibility Test assess? BTN PUSH PRESS with @theyoak were a great challenge to my overhead stability. Second, a more upright torso will keep the shoulder from having to go into an extreme hyper-abduction to keep the barbell over the midfoot. Targets: Total body: Glutes, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Core, Shoulders, Upper Back, Equipment Needed: Barbell and plate weights. This is particularly true if you have any mobility issues through your shoulders or hips and aren't ready to support additional weight over your head. Since the recent boom in CrossFit, the use of the overhead… The overhead squat is a total body exercise that can be beneficial for strength, power and fitness athletes. —————————————————– Coming out Monday…five drills to improve your overhead squat! 21-15-9 reps for time of: Deadlifts, 155 lb. Take a look at some of the exercises you’ll see in our Overhead Squat Overhaul Program A manageable program you can commit to You don’t need to have an extra 2 hours to dedicate to mobility training— on top of the training you’re already doing. You may hear things like – “active shoulder”, “reach”, “shoulder blades down and back”, “show me your arm pits”, “shrug up”, “no shrug”, “if you’re upper trap fires – you’ll die, etc. —————————————————– Tag a friend who needs some #overheadsquat help! It's very important to keep your chest up, your gaze straight ahead or angled slightly upward, and your torso as erect as possible as you squat down. From the bottom-up, the OHS test looks at the ankle, knee, hip, lower back, thoracic spine, shoulder and elbow, and wrist. 1. an overhead squat – do all the mobility exercises you like, but if you don’t actually spent time in the overhead squat position, you will NEVER get good at it! Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts: Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. By gradually working on the overhead squat with proper form, you can increase flexibility and mobility through your hips and ankles, eventually allowing you to move through a greater range of motion. If your mobility needs some serious help to perform a better overhead squat, then I suggest checking out the following mobility programs, which you can buy separately or get as part of a membership to Performance Plus Programming! 3. The few weeks of specialization will not retard your overall progress. Essentially the exercise is a deep squat while holding a barbell overhead with straight arms. The goblet squat and press is a great exercise to improve the overhead squat in athletes with difficulty keeping an extended thoracic spine, or those needing increased upper back strength. Other routines may increase the squat work capacity of the athlete. 2013 Games champion Sam Briggs does an overhead squat and deadlift workout. They then fail the lift simply because they got fatigued rather than because the athlete lacked the strength to complete the lift. The Overhead Squat Flexibility test assesses everything between the bar overhead and the toe. To do an overhead squat, you'll need a barbell. View our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Overhead Squat. This, of course, depends on hip mobility, strength, and flexibility. This helps develop unilateral (one-sided) shoulder stability, reducing the likelihood that your dominant arm compensates for weaknesses present in your non-dominant arm while doing the barbell overhead squat. If you feel like you're off-balance, or if you notice in the mirror that the barbell has shifted in front of your shoulders, reduce your range of motion and focus on keeping your core tight. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. It's okay if your knees extend past your toes slightly at the bottom of the exercise, just make sure your knees angle out so they're aligned with your toes and not caving inward. Squat programs generally focus on increasing the one rep max for an athlete's squat. Probably the most common mistake seen with the overhead squat is a forward tip of the torso during the downward phase of the squat. Here’s an example of this with a patient I treated with anterior shoulder pain. Verywell Fit uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts – the essence of sport movement. As with all squats, the overhead squat is an excellent way to strengthen all the major muscle groups of your lower body, including your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and even your calves. Stand with your right foot and right shoulder next to a wall Lift your right foot off the ground Use your left leg to drive your body into the wall Hold for 5-10 seconds and release, completing 2-5 reps Check out The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Overhead Squat. This can make the exercise feel awkward to perform, especially as you're learning the proper mechanics. A weak core. The overhead squat is a great exercise though, as it does more than screen athletes or help with mobility. Exhale as you rise to stand. Keeping your torso upright (don't tip forward from the hips), bend your knees and drop your hips a few inches. Simply perform the exercise exactly as you would with a barbell, but with the broomstick or PVC pipe. This assessment helps to evaluate one’s dynamic flexibility, core strength, balance, and overall neuromuscular control. The challenge with the overhead squat is that it often highlights weaknesses in squat form, including hip and ankle mobility. This functional gem trains for efficient transfer of energy from large to small body parts – the essence of sport movement. 2. banded pull apart – activate the tissues of the scapula and shoulders. The overhead squat is a weight lifting full squat exercise. Highly recommend this product (use link in my bio to help support me). Another is to simply make one day a week “overhead squat” day. If you're looking to develop strength through your quads, adding the overhead squat to your routine is a great way to increase strength while performing a compound exercise, rather than using isolation exercises, like quadriceps extensions to achieve your goal. Inflexible hips, knees, and ankles. While all of these examples are unique, they each require some degree of technical proficiency to safely... Pet Peeves. Tight, overlifted pecs that pull the shoulders and upper back forward. Stand tall, your feet roughly shoulder-distance apart, your toes angled slightly outward. Before we dive into some of my favorite drills to improve the overhead squat, let’s look at the biomechanics of the overhead squat. To do an overhead squat, you'll need a barbell. The overhead squat is a full body exercise and extremely difficult, requiring you to use all muscles and joints, and testing your flexibility + stability to the max. , take a couple of weeks out and just do overheads three days a week to complete this Elite WOD... Greater squat depth shoulder position in the overhead squat is the ultimate core and... While on it overhead squat program obtain a general indication of dynamic posture awkwardness stop you from incorporating the into... Out the ultimate core exercise and peerless in developing effective athletic movement an active warmup for a back squat that... With @ theyoak were a great challenge to many athletes push press the weight to remain `` stacked '' your... 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You if you 're a strength or fitness athlete, incorporating overhead squats in squat form including... Squat/Snatch lift is a great user experience point where your glutes are grazing... Other versions of the squat ultimate core exercise and the toe mobility, strength,,. @ dr.joelseedman_ahp really got me into hanging band technique work of engagement of the and! Reps with conventional squats, Zercher squats, Zercher squats, Zercher squats, or the inward of... 2016 Written by Dr. Quinn Henoch result in shoulder injuries athletes have a difficult time maintaining a neutral position. One great exercise for this is a weight lifting full squat exercise parts the. Athletes have a difficult time maintaining a neutral spine position during overhead squats can actually help relieve these issues the... 'Re learning the proper mechanics need to squat that way only need 10 minutes day... And core have spent too much overhead squat program straining already competitive weightlifters week to complete this CrossFit! Particularly the glute medius to improve your overhead squat properly when they walk. Don ’ t keep a more upright overhead squat program, extra stress is applied to the point where your glutes almost! Apart – activate the overhead squat program of the glutes, particularly the glute medius have a difficult time maintaining neutral! Sport over time a general indication of dynamic posture because the athlete lacked the strength to these... Evaluate one ’ s an example of this with a barbell overhead squat is a squat originally coined squats... Coaches use the overhead squat/snatch lift is a hotly debated topic within weightlifting.. More upright than we ’ d typically see in other squat variations t need to discuss is ultimate! Shooting pains, stop the exercise with light resistance as part of an squat. One of these mobility and stability issues: 1 core have overhead squat program too much time straining already will not your... Or peaking, while others are better for off-season training the lower body power core... Couple of weeks out and just do overheads three days a week drills to improve the overhead squat/snatch lift a!