Issue 040
August 2008
By Alex Gold. The overhead squat is, as it sounds, a squat with the arms held above the head. Many variations of the basic exercise can be used, each with different benefits. Before performing the overhead squat, ensure the shoulders are fully warmed up, as they will be worked through a full range of motion by this exercise.
To perform the overhead squat with a barbell, I would suggest starting with an empty bar, as it will be much harder than you expect! From the floor, clean and press the bar over the head onto the shoulders. From here you can change your grip width. You can place your hands anywhere from the very ends of the bar up to shoulder width. I recommend going as narrow as is comfortable without straining your shoulders, as this will give you an additional benefit of an active stretch of the internal rotators.
Once you have the correct grip width, push-press the bar to an overhead position. Take a deep breath and brace the stomach. Set the feet apart at shoulder width or slightly wider, and turn the toes out slightly. From here push the hips back and knees out to start the movement. Go as far down as you can with good form and return to the start position. You will find that in order to keep the bar above the shoulders, it will feel like you have to push it backwards as you descend. To keep the shoulders tight it is often beneficial to push out sideways with the hands. Remember, if you feel yourself losing control, drop the bar! It is easier to fix the bar or the floor than it is to repair a shoulder.
The overhead squat in fighting
The overhead squat does not have a direct similarity to any particular movement used in fighting, but the general advantages will carry over quite well. Among the many benefits of this exercise are the requirement to stabilise through the entire body while performing a powerful movement (especially shoulders and torso), the co-ordination of every muscle from head to toe, and an increase in dynamic mobility.
In order to make the exercise increasingly more difficult more weight can be added, or odd objects such as kegs, sandbags, etc can be used to further challenge stability. Once you have mastered the overhead squat you could progress onto the Olympic snatch, which is a full-body explosive lift into an overhead squat.
Overhead squat variations
- Overhead squats with barbell
- Overhead squats with dumb-bells
- Overhead squats with sandbag
- Overhead squats with kettlebells
- Overhead squats with chains attached to bar
- Overhead lunges or reverse lunges
- Overhead lateral lunges
ASK ALEX
Our resident strength and conditioning expert, Alex, answers your training-related queries
Q. How would you structure cycling for commuting alongside your training? For commuting purposes I like cycling three times a week, seven miles each direction. My initial plan is to cycle on gym days, as this fits into my schedule. Is there any obvious reason why this wouldn’t work? My two bike rides would be 7.30am and 4.30pm, I’m desk-based at work, and I’ll hit the gym on the way home in the evening.
Chris, Norfolk
A. I would advise you to ride on training days. I would work at a relatively higher heart rate in the morning, around 140-150 BPM, then use the ride to and from the gym as a warm-up / cool-down. This would be done around 120-125 BPM, or at a very easy pace. This will work well because you will be more fresher to hit exercise harder in the morning, and the slower pace in the evening will not fatigue you before gym training and will act as a good cool-down. Just ensure that you take it easy on the return from the gym, as you can lower the effectiveness of any strength training by doing hard aerobic work immediately afterwards.
Q. How can I improve my chin-ups? I have been stuck for a few months and can only do two or three chin-ups at once. I keep trying but the next rep always seems impossible no matter what I do! At my gym there is a machine you can use to help you out, should I use this?
Brian, London
A. Regarding chin-ups, I have found that testing a max and basing training weights from that is quite effective. In your case, if you can only do two or three repetitions it means you are working at a very high percentage of your one rep max, maybe 90-95%. Doing this regularly can be counterproductive. Do some work at an easier percentage with higher repetitions, which can be achieved by using the machine you mentioned, although I would recommend using a rubber band to assist you as this will enable you to still move around the bar unrestricted. Test your max and work at around 70% for a few weeks then check your progress.
Alex Gold is a strength and conditioning specialist working with fighters to achieve peak performance.
...
