Yes, You Can (and need to) Overhead Squat!

Have you ever looked at someone doing an overhead squat and though to yourself, “no way I’ll ever have the mobility to do that”? Or, have you ever tried an overhead squat, and felt stiffness through your hips and shoulders that made you feel “your body isn’t designed for this”? Well, the Overhead Squat IS certainly a movement that demands significant mobility, coordination, and control… which is why it is one of my FAVORITE ways to squat. After all, if it were simple, everyone would be doing it!

Here’s the thing — if you participate in a sport like CrossFit or Olympic Weightlifting, that involves a movement such as the SNATCH, you will have to eventually learn how to Overhead Squat. 

“What?! No I don’t! I can just do power snatches without ever doing an overhead squat!” 

Well sure, you don’t have to do a FULL overhead squat. But you do have to learn how to control the bar overhead in a receiving position, how to train your body to receive the bar in lower positions as it gets heavier, and coordinate the movement with the demands of load and stability. That is… if you want to get better at Snatches and remain injury free :)

So let’s talk about it! What does an overhead squat entail?

The Overhead Squat is a compound exercise that involves squatting, or descending as low as possible, while holding a weight (such as a barbell or dumbbell) overhead with arms fully extended, without losing foot contact with the ground. It requires a combination of strength, flexibility, and coordination, as it engages multiple muscle groups, including the legs, core, shoulders, and upper back. In fact, this exercise is one of the main screens used to assess mobility, stability, and overall body control, particularly in athletes and weightlifters. 

In fact, if you have PAIN with snatching or when trying to do an overhead squat, keep reading! This is for you!

Mobility Demands:

•  Wrist Extension — holding the bar in the hand while the wrist bends backwards. Does not have to be all the way, but we do want to let the bar rest back into the palms. 
•  Shoulder Flexion and Abduction — the position of the shoulder in the wide position overhead
•  Shoulder External Rotation — to get the bar from a snatch from the floor to overhead, the shoulder must start in INTERNAL rotation. However, the bar will be held in EXTERNAL rotation overhead to create stability and tension throughout the muscles of the shoulder. 
•  Thoracic Extension and Rotation — these are a MUST and are under-trained!!! The upper back needs to have good mobility to stay straight, in order to help engage the muscles that surround the shoulder blade to create tension and stability. Additionally, it must be able to ROTATE effectively, to help the shoulderblade elevate when the bar is overhead. (Hint: if you feel your shoulders are very stiff in an overhead squat, you might need to work on your thoracic mobility!)
•  Hip Flexion — basically the demands of a squat. Some individuals require more rotation externally/internally than others, which we will get into later.
•  Ankle Dorsiflexion — to allow the shins to come forward in a squat. If you have trouble sitting low in the squat and feel the chest must come forward, these might be stiff here.

Through the Movement: The bar will start overhead in the wide-grip position, and stay there as the body squats down and back up. 

“Okay but I don’t have good mobility in any of those areas, and I don’t have the time to work on all of them! In fact, I don’t care about overhead squats! So why again should I work on it?!”

Let’s talk about it this way…. Have you ever received a heavy Power Snatch during CrossFit class (above parallel, not a full squat), and you felt it was VERY effortful, maybe even a bit “ugly”? It’s very likely your body wasn’t getting under the bar very well. You were pulling the bar above your head….. not pulling yourself under the bar, which is what the Power Snatch, and full Snatch, demand. 

Training the Overhead Squat, or even partial Overhead Squats, is an EXCELLENT way to develop the control, strength, and awareness necessary to stabilize a bar in lower positions when lifting heavier.

To help you master the Overhead Squat, here are a few key points to keep in mind:

1.  Your body doesn’t need to be perfectly upright. Many athletes try to keep their chest fully erect, which can be challenging due to the demands on the shoulders and hips. Instead, allow your chest to lean slightly forward—this is a natural position for your torso and hips.
2.  Focus on "punching" the bar up toward the ceiling during the descent and while holding it overhead. A common cue is to "bend the bar," which suggests pulling the shoulders downward, but a more effective approach is to actively push up into the bar. Pushing UP on the bar helps create a stable and engaged shoulder position.
3.  Finally, remember that you don’t need to perform a full squat to train the movement effectively. Working on partial ranges with full control is often more beneficial and therapeutic, and performance-progressing, than forcing deeper ranges that could lead to discomfort, tissue stress, and hinder your progress in mobility, strength, and control.

Partial Overhead Squat:

So, try this!

•  Bar Overhead — punch UP into the ceiling. 
•  Feet wide, slightly outside of hips, slightly turned out.
•  Descend, while allowing the chest to come forward slightly. 
•  ONLY go down as far as where 1) your feet maintain FULL contact with the ground (your heels do not come up), and 2) your shoulders do not lose their active position
•  Then, return to a standing position and repeat!

As you can see, you don’t have to be in a full squat position for this to be effective. In fact, practicing THIS ^ will help you graduate closer to doing a FULL overhead squat in the future.

 For better Snatches, Power Snatches, and to improve your overall strength, coordination, mobility, and control, you have to practice Overhead Squats… but we can get there STEP BY STEP!!! :)

Ready to learn more? Have specific pain problems that are limiting your performance goals? Czarbell is here to help. Reach out at [email protected], or schedule an appointment with me through the main page of this website, to learn more!