Understanding the overhead squat: Muscles worked and benefits     

Whether you're a novice exerciser or pro weight lifter, adding the overhead squat to your strength training routine can be really useful.

Overhead squats are an advanced variation of the classic squat exercise that targets major muscle groups throughout the body. It's a full body compound exercise that helps improve overall strength, flexibility and mobility while assisting with other exercises and daily movements, too.

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Overhead squat: Muscles worked

Squats primarily target the lower body muscles. (Photo via Pexels/Victor Freitas)

Overhead squats involve every muscle in the body and demand stability and strength in the overhead position.

It primarily targets the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, glutes, adductors and hamstrings, but several upper body muscles also get involved in the execution of the squatting movement. These include the triceps, deltoids, chest and core.

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How to do overhead squats?

To do an overhead squat, you need a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. If you're a beginner, first try the movement by grabbing dumbbells in both hands or using an unweighted barbell.

Always choose a weight that allows you to perform the exercise safely and by maintaining the right technique throughout the reps and sets. Here’s how you can perform overhead squats correctly:

• Stand upright, and place an unweighted barbell across your back. Make sure it rests on the shoulders.
• Hold the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and engage the lats throughout the movement. Keep your elbows pointed down towards the floor.
• Engage the hips, shoulders and core, and push the barbell over your head. Simultaneously lower your hips down, and keep your chest high, making sure the knees are bent slightly.
• Push the barbell over your head, and push through your shoulders and legs to bring the barbell to the starting position. As you move the barbell to its starting position, make sure it rests in the centre with the wrists extended.
• Push your arms towards the ceiling by fully extending the elbows and keeping a stable upper back position.
• While keeping the elbows extended and chest high, start the downward movement by slowly bending from the hips and knees.
• Lower yourself into a squat till the legs get parallel to the floor.
• Make sure the barbell is over the middle of the feet and knees are in line with the feet. Hold the squat movement for a few seconds.
• Push your feet, and squeeze the glutes as you start to stand up.
• Continue to stand till the knees and hips get fully extended.

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Benefits of overhead squat

This exercise can be done using a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. (Photo via Pexels/Li Sun)

Practicing overhead squats offer some great benefits:

Targets major muscles at once

This advanced squat variation engages muscles in the lower body like the adductors, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. It also works major muscles in the upper body, including the deltoids, triceps, core and chest all at once, making it an excellent full body exercise.

Versatile exercise

Another great benefit of this full body squat variation is its versatility, which means you can do it anywhere, at the gym or even at home. The best thing about this exercise is that it can be done using any free weight – a barbell, dumbbell or even a kettlebell.

Boosts core strength and stability

Squats are a great exercise to strengthen the core and improve its stability. The key, though, is to keep the core muscles involved through a full range of motion during the exercise.

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Squat variation enhances core strength. (Photo via Pexels/Scott Webb)

This exercise can even correct improper squatting form and help you perform other squat variations like the back squat or goblet squat, without any complications.

Overall, this squat variation is an effective and challenging exercise that offers full body benefits. However, ensure to master this exercise without weight before progressing to heavy weights. That will help prevent injuries and any kind of muscle imbalance.