Lo squatting it is a fundamental movement pattern that requires the integration of multiple joints and muscles; as an exercise force dynamics, the squat requires that different muscles of the upper and lower body work together simultaneously.
Many of these muscles help perform daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, bending over, and carrying heavy loads; adding squats to your workout can help improve performance, reduce the risk of injury and make you move more smoothly.
There are many types of squats; today we want to focus on the overhead squat, an exercise that addresses the body in its entirety and which, when done correctly, it increases strength, flexibility, and range of motion.
Let's find out how to do it, its benefits and the most common mistakes.
Index
Overhead squats: execution
A barbell is required to perform an overhead squat; Depending on your strength, range of motion, and level of confidence with the movement, you may need extra weights to add extra resistance.
- Start standing, with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward
- Place the barbell on the back of your shoulders with your hands a pinch (made with three fingers) wider than a back squats
- Keeping your torso straight, bend your knees and lower your hips a few inches
- In one powerful movement, straighten your knees and hips as you push the bar overhead, fully extending your arms and locking your elbows overhead
- Allow your wrists to bend back slightly to keep the bar from rolling forward
- Check that the barbell is positioned above the center of your feet
To perform the lift:
- Move your hips back and begin bending your knees as you squat down as if to sit on your heels
- Keep the core in tension and the elbows extended
- It's it is essential to keep the chest up, the gaze straight and the bust erect
- Inhale as you squat down
- Get as low as possible while maintaining weight and body control; the knees can also extend beyond the toes at the end of the exercise, but it is important that they angle so that they are aligned with the toes
- Press your feet and use your glutes, quads, hamstrings and core to fully extend your knees and hips as you return to starting position
- Exhale as you stand up
- Perform a full set, then carefully bend your elbows and bring the barbell back to your shoulders.
Benefits
The overhead squat helps identify areas of weakness in the execution of the squat and creates the opportunity to slowly develop the strength and range of motion necessary for successful execution.
This exercise also:
- Strengthens major muscle groups in the lower and upper body; by requiring you to keep your torso upright, the overhead squat recruits more i quadriceps, the core and also the upper body which holds the barbell up
- Improve the execution of exercises like it snatch andOverhead press gthanks to the stability of the shoulders and abs.
Common Overhead Squat Mistakes
Try to avoid these mistakes when performing the overhead squat:
- Leaning too far forward: leaning forward during the descent phase is quite common if you don't have good hip and ankle mobility
- Not keeping your torso upright: the barbell must remain stable above the head throughout the movement; if the torso goes off balance, the barbell moves too
- Let the knees drop inward: this is a problem for all variations of the squat, often caused by the lack of involvement of the glutes.
And you, do you do overhead squats in your workouts? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our telegram channel
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