To put it simply,. Anyway, back to the question on Overhead Squat Flexibility, in order to execute an Overhead Squat, the athlete needs to have appropriate flexibility in the calf, hamstring, and shoulder girdle. Believe me, I have worked with professional tennis players and beach volleyball players, who obviously use their shoulders extensively, and I have seen some tight shoulder girdles! As I like to say, all bodyparts have to work in conjunction for the Overhead Squat to be successful.
The answer is yes, a flexible shoulder girdle allows to get the bar overhead in the right position, a stable shoulder girdle ensures, that the bar remains in the right position overhead.
Due to the extended lever of the bar being overhead it the Overhead Squat calls for a stable and strong trunk, which is basically the link between the lower body and the upper body. Believe it or not, some people say that the Overhead Squat is the best core stability exercise. If you have ever seen an athlete working with his or her maximum weight or near-maximum weight, you have seen the athlete shaking already in the start position with the weight overhead.
Or maybe you have done Overhead Squats yourself and have experienced that first hand. Either case shows the influence on the Overhead Squat on balance.
The bar needs to be perfectly placed over the center of the body and needs to be kept aligned over the center of the body while descending and ascending.
The video below shows that perfectly. You can certainly see, how she has to make constant adjustments through the squat movement in order to maintain balance.
The Overhead Squat requires an energy transfer or force application from the ground to the bar which is held overhead and everything in between those two points has to work hard to transfer the energy and force effectively and efficiently. I am always amazed by how much the Overhead Squat with maximum weight or near-maximum weight changes the focus of an athlete instantaneously.
Have a look at this video of Steffie van der Peet and you will see what I mean. She overhead squats more than her body weight and in order to do that, you can see her being fully focused on the lift. Well, compared to one of the previous videos, this is still a bit older footage and shows the amazing progress Steffie made over the years.
There is a debate in the world of weightlifting, or better Olympic Weightlifting, whether the Overhead Squat is beneficial to improve the Snatch or the Power Snatch or whether it is detrimental. In my experience, the majority of athletes I work with and worked with so we are talking about athletes that are using strength training and incorporating the Olympic lifts as a means to an end and ultimately to get better at their sport, not competitive Olympic Weightlifters have the weakest link in the entire exercise chain, when stabilizing the bar overhead towards the end of the catch phase and beginning of the recovery phase.
In my opinion, one of the most suitable exercises to train and improve this position is the Overhead Squat. Moving weights a long distance is a critical piece of increasing work capacity. Being able to perform work in a short amount and having stronger legs, abs and shoulders will translate over to being able to attack hills better while running long distances, improve sprints and improve functional performance.
As you improve strength, your body adds lean muscle. As a result, the body holds onto lean body mass better, increases your resting metabolic rate, burns more calories, and increases lean body composition. Overhead squats are much more than a stupid and unsafe exercise. They are a necessity for a healthier, stronger and leaner body. From strengthening your whole body, to injury prevention and improved conditioning, the health benefits are beyond comprehension, so get out there and start squatting with weight overhead!
Before we delve into solutions for addressing overhead squat movement faults, first we must discuss some common mobility restrictions and what problems they cause during overhead squats. Find your specific deficits and correct them. Poor ankle mobility limits deep overhead squats, especially if the athlete has relatively long femurs. Athletes with issues here tend to push their hips too far back because the knees are blocked from tracking forwards. This drops the torso towards the ground and transfers greater demand of overhead barbell stabilization to the thoracic spine and shoulders.
Adding foot and lower leg strengthening can help create range at the ankle. Foot and lower leg strengthening can help athletes maintain an active foot position and may help prevent ankle pronation ankles caving in and subsequent knee valgus knees caving in. An athlete with restrictions here will round their upper back, perhaps aiming their chest at the ground, which places even more stress on the shoulders.
Next, the shoulder blades elevate, and the shoulders most likely internally rotate to provide the new range of motion required to stabilize the barbell. There is no longevity performing overhead squats like this and will end badly in time. However, there is hope. Most likely, the shoulders are NOT the problem but instead have been the solution to stabilizing the barbell overhead after much of the force of the movement is shifted to them from poor ankle, hip, and thoracic function.
Here, the shoulder — by lonesome itself — carries the burden that should be shared with the thoracic spine and scapula. However, IF you happen to be in that five percent of the population whose shoulders lack the requisite range of motion or stability to perform this movement, assessing all the muscles that cross the shoulder joint for weakness is worthwhile. Strengthen the weaker muscles and you may find your stability and range improve. Think of it this way: what if your particular short muscles are just weak, and the body wants to keep them short to protect you from hurting them?
An elongated muscle may be more susceptible to injury. Your body is smart. It has had millions of years to figure out how to stay healthy and reproduce despite all the crazy stuff we do to ourselves.
A potential solution here is to locate short or weak areas sometimes muscles can be weak and long, too through strength and range of motion testing, strengthen the weak muscles, and then retest. Keep the potential movement flaws and problems from above in mind when you sift through this section.
With faults of any kind in human movements, I love to look at them with this perspective: if you were to perform that movement, just like that, for 10, reps, what would happen? Look deeply and honestly at yourself here. Keeping the 10,rep rule in mind, there are seemingly endless faults for overhead squatting due to the complexity of this movement. Here are a few faults and some suggested fixes for them.
This list of faults and fixes is not exhaustive or complete because there are many solutions to every single fault and are often specific to each individual athlete. This approach to improving range of motion is similar to a shotgun loaded with buckshot. Pull the trigger once and shoot all the birds in the tree. Improving range of motion throughout the entire body is targeted here, one joint at a time.
Hopefully somewhere within a few of these CARs you may find potential solutions to your specific mobility deficits. Here is a non-exhaustive list of mobility drills that may help you move towards your optimal overhead squat position:. During this fault, the athlete shifts weight forwards during the OHS onto the balls of the feet. This could be caused by restricted ankle ROM.
This can ask extra work of the ankles to help balance everything occurring above. If the forwards shift is caused by poor ankle range, then improving ankle ROM, specifically flexion, will address this issue.
For example, try this distracted ankle mobility drill and knee loaded ankle stretch. The athlete shifts weight backwards during the squat and the toes or even the balls of the feet lose contact with the ground. Perhaps the athlete has an incomplete grasp of the function of active foot squatting and can benefit from practicing body weight squats in bare feet or socks. Once the athlete understands how the foot should contact the ground during squatting, if mobility along the kinetic chain is adequate, there should be minimal recurring problems.
Knee valgus occurs when the knees femurs track inside the line of the feet. This can be caused by weakness in the feet and lower legs, weakness in the adductors, and weakness in the hip abductors and external rotators. Sometimes, the arch of the foot collapses because the muscles of the foot and lower leg are weak or uneducated about what they should be doing to provide a solid base for enabling force production up the chain.
Once again, barefoot squatting can be a worthwhile lesson. For athletes that can perform a PVC overhead squat well but knees collapse when resistance is added, this is a sign the resistance is too great.
Dial back the barbell weight until the athlete can maintain proper foot contact with the ground, a solid foot arch, and parallel femur and foot alignment. Some fixes for knee valgus involve the combination of regressing back to a resistance that the athlete can squat correctly while simultaneously adding external resistance directly to the knees. For example, 1 walking up on the toes, 2 on heels only, and 3 on the outer edge of the feet while doming arching the foot can strengthen the muscles of the feet and lower legs to help resist pronation during squats.
Sometimes the athlete has their weight on the outer edges of their feet. Other times, the athlete has surprising range in their ankles, allowing for the combination of an active foot and knees tracking wide. Some athletes overcorrect knee valgus and end up developing a problematic varus pattern. Once again, apply the 10,rep rule here.
For example, an athlete who constantly squatted with their knees out beyond the safe range. The result was a patellar injury that the doctor could not explain. This is just one strong example on the validity of the 10, rep rule. So while we may want to ditch or never start with the overhead squat, keep in mind that there are other very good reasons to do it.
The participants of this test could perform full range of motion overhead squats with a decent weight. The overhead squat continues to be a great test of mobility and flexibility, and can help determine where your back squat may need more work. Rodrigo Aspe, et. Photo courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography. Check out these simple workouts and fun exercises that can be done at-home with makeshift or no equipment at all.
Topic: Fitness. See more about: overhead squat , back squats.
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