Overhead Squat
A squat with the barbell locked overhead on a wide grip: you sit down below parallel while holding the bar over your midfoot, then stand back up.
- Primary muscles
- Quads, Glutes
- Secondary
- Front delts, Adductors
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The overhead squat is a core drill for the snatch and a tough test of shoulder, upper back and ankle mobility, balance and control. Weightlifters use it to build a stable catch position, and it also turns up in functional fitness workouts. Your legs are rarely the limit; holding the bar in position is. Start with a broomstick or an empty bar and add weight slowly, ideally with a coach checking your position.
How to do it
Take a wide grip on the bar, well outside shoulder-width, and press or jerk it overhead with your arms locked.
Set your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes turned out slightly and the bar stacked over your midfoot.
Squat down while keeping the bar locked overhead and slightly behind your head, going below parallel if your shoulders allow it.
Drive back up with the bar still overhead. Start with an empty bar or a broomstick; this exposes every shoulder and ankle restriction you have.
Common mistakes
Bar drifting forward
If the bar moves in front of your head, it pulls you forward and you lose it. Keep it over your midfoot and slightly behind your head, pushing up into it.
Soft elbows
Bent elbows let the bar sink and wobble. Lock your arms and press up against the bar for the whole rep.
Grip too narrow
A narrow grip needs far more shoulder mobility to keep the bar overhead. Take a wide snatch grip, well outside shoulder-width.
Adding weight before the position is solid
This lift exposes every mobility gap. Use a broomstick or empty bar until you can sit deep with the bar steady, then add load in small jumps.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
