Overhead Squat

advanced · squat

Setup

Work on a lifting platform with bumper plates and keep clear space in front of and behind you to dump the bar if you miss; without a platform and bumpers, keep this to an empty bar or a PVC pipe. Set the bar on the rack at shoulder height, take a snatch-width grip (much wider than shoulder width, hands out to the outer rings) and get under it so it rests on the traps behind your neck, the same as a back squat. Lift it off, step back out of the rack, then press it up to a locked-out position overhead, feet a little wider than hip-width with the toes turned out.

Execution

Stand with the bar locked out overhead, stacked directly over the middle of your feet, chest open, shoulders locked tight.
Brace the core hard before you start to descend, and hold that brace throughout.
Inhale, bend the hips and knees together, sitting down into a squat while keeping the bar locked out overhead.
Descend until your hip crease drops below your knee, without letting the bar drift forward or the lower back round.
Exhale and drive up through the heels and mid-foot to stand, keeping the arms locked out overhead the whole way up.
If the bar drifts forward, the lockout fails or you lose balance, dump the bar at once: push it out in front or shove it behind you, let go and step clear; never grind to save an overhead rep.
At the end of the set, lower the bar under control onto the traps behind your neck, walk it back to the rack and set it in the hooks, rather than dropping it straight down from overhead.

Breathing

Inhale before you descend, exhale as you stand up. Do not hold your breath for long while the bar is locked overhead; if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or you are pregnant, avoid this overhead-loaded squat altogether.

Quick cues

Bar stays over mid-foot.
Chest open, shoulders locked.
Sit down between your knees.
Stand up, arms stay locked overhead.
Lose it, dump it immediately.

Common faults

Fault: The bar drifting forward during the descent
Fix: Drill it with an empty bar or a PVC pipe, cueing an open chest and shoulders pushed up before every descent.
Fault: Losing the shoulder lockout partway through the squat
Fix: Lighten the load, shorten the range for now, and drill holding the overhead position alone before adding weight.
Fault: The heels lifting, with the weight shifting onto the toes
Fix: Work on ankle mobility and use a thin heel wedge while you are still learning the position.
Fault: Adding load too soon before the overhead position is solid
Fix: Master the movement with an empty bar or a PVC pipe before loading any plates.

Equipment

barbell, squat_rack

Muscle groups

legs, glutes, shoulders, core