Overhead Squat for Performance
The overhead squat is one of the most underrated and misunderstood exercises. It has gained popularity in recent times, largely because of CrossFit, but it is often the case, that people aren’t quite sure why they are actually doing the movement. Have you ever wondered how the OHS fits in with your training goals?
Many people who focus on mobility too much lose too much strength and those who spend too much time trying to build up their squat, bench and deadlift lose mobility. The OHS bridges the gap for these individuals as it requires both! It forces development of strength and mobility to be performed correctly. Particularly in the shoulders, thoracic spine, hips and ankles. This will provide carry over to other lifts like the snatch, back squat, front squat and overhead press, only to name a few.
The OHS is used primarily as a mobility piece and supplemental lift to improve the snatch. However it has now become a benchmark lift in itself and rightly so in my opinion. If you can effectively perform an overhead squat, with reasonable load, its a good indication that your body is on point from a mobility and stability viewpoint. It also tells you damn quick when its not!
Its important to remember that this can be a dangerous exercise if you choose to take short cuts when learning the movement. Ensure that you progress only when appropriate, and don’t rush. Most people struggle with this movement at the start, so if you feel like a giraffe on stilts, don’t stress. You’re not the only one.
Grip
Since this movement is a supplemental lift to the snatch, you should use a snatch grip. To find your snatch grip, hold the bar as wide as you can, then simply adjust until the bars rests slightly below the hip bone. Finding the correct hand position will go along way in ensuring you are protecting your hips and your bits.
Posture and Shoulder Position
Excessive forward lean with their shoulders flexed to their end range is seen all too often with lifters who haven’t been coached properly on this lift. Holding this compromised position requires activation of muscles around the shoulder joint to keep it stable and as fatigue sets in the bar will move around and result in missed lifts. Also, if musculature around the shoulder girdle are the main determinants of the load you put over you head, there’s no way you’re lower extremity will receive any significant training adaptation. If you fail to stimulate anything other than the shoulders, you’ll never gain the full benefit of this movement.
Finding a position where the torso is more upright, with greater thoracic extention, and you can pack the shoulders in against the rib cage is much more desirable. ‘Wrapping the shoulder blades around the torso’ or ‘turning your armpits forwards’ will put the glenohumeral joint into a close packed position where by majority of the load will be transferred through the skeletal system rather than the muscles. This will allow you to support greater loads, for longer periods before fatigue sets in.
All this being said, when you start overhead squatting, the goal is not to lift the greatest weight possible. Rather, to develop the skill and proficiency of the movement pattern. Once you have developed the neuromuscular control, ROM and confidence with a bar overhead, you can worry about loading up. Incorporating this exercise as a warm activity at first is a good way to get started.
Try these mobility drills before you try overhead squatting and see if you feel more comfortable at the bottom...
