Raise The Bar

The overhead squat—and why you don't need a barbell to benefit

The overhead squat is exactly what it sounds like: a squat performed while holding a load overhead. But don’t let the barbell version fool you. You don’t need to lift heavy—or even use a weight—to benefit from this movement.

The overhead squat asks a lot of the body at once: lower-body strength, shoulder and thoracic mobility, core stability, balance, coordination, and control.

Why It Matters in Midlife

Maintaining muscle and bone strength matters as we get older—but so does maintaining our ability to move well.

The overhead squat challenges several qualities that become increasingly important in midlife:

• Lower-body strength

• Overhead mobility

• Trunk stability

• Balance

• Proprioception.

And because the upper and lower body must work together, it trains the body as an integrated system rather than a collection of individual muscles.

How to Do It

Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart and extend your arms—or a light object—overhead. Brace your core, keep your arms reaching upward and the load positioned over the middle of your foot, then sit your hips down between your legs.

Descend only as far as you can while maintaining the overhead position and good control, then drive through your feet to stand.

***Depth and load come after good movement.

Make It Your Movement

The overhead squat isn’t all-or-nothing. Keep the overhead component, then scale the load, range of motion, or complexity to meet your body where it is today.

• Arms-only overhead squat: Reach both arms overhead—or just one—and squat only as deeply as you can maintain the position.

• PVC/broomstick overhead squat: Practice the full movement with essentially no external load.

• Box overhead squat: Use a box or bench to limit depth while maintaining the overhead position.

• Single-dumbbell overhead squat: Hold a light dumbbell in one hand overhead, adding load and an asymmetric stability challenge.

• Barbell overhead squat: Progress to the traditional movement when mobility, stability, and control allow.

Safety

Shoulder, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, or back limitations may require modification. Never force range of motion simply to make the movement “look right.”

Identify your pain-free range of motion and choose the variation that allows you to move comfortably and with control.

Bottom Line

You don’t have to be young, exceptionally flexible, or an experienced lifter to train the overhead squat.

Start with the version you can do well. Then build from there.

The goal isn’t a perfect barbell overhead squat.

The goal is to keep building a body capable of doing more.

This week’s workout is a 2-part effort integrating the overhead squat (or your chosen variation). The second part is a core finisher that will help you appreciate how much your core muscles were working during the overhead squat segment.

Warm-Up

TABATA (20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest) - 6 minutes.

Perform each movement sequentially until you have completed each round of 3 movements 4 times.

• Up-downs (20s work/20s rest), then..

• Push-ups (easy option) (20s work/20s rest), then..

• Jumping air squats (20s work/20s rest), then back to the Up-downs

After you finish the TABATA, perform 12 PVC Pass-throughs with your broomstick or PVC pipe.

Movement Practice

WATCH THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL ON THE OVERHEAD SQUAT!

If you have never done this movement before PLEASE use just a broomstick or PVC pipe. This is a COMPLEX MOVEMENT, so until you feel ultra-confident and consistent with superb form, stick with a broomstick or PVC pipe.

Take 5-10 minutes to practice the overhead squats - Try 3-5 sets of 5 repetitions until you feel confident in performing this movement in the workout.

If you are familiar with the overhead squat, please watch the video tutorial and fine-tune your technique using an empty bar. Add weight as appropriate maintaining solid technique.

Movement alternatives:

• Use a box to squat to as shown in the video tutorial above if you cannot achieve sound mechanics and bar/pipe/stick position in a full squat.

• Single arm overhead dumbbell squat. If the restriction of a broomstick/PVC pipe makes this movement difficult to achieve with good form, try a single-arm overhead squat instead. Start with a lightweight object and work up to a dumbbell during practice.

Take another 5-10 minutes to practice the movements in Workout Part 1 and select your kettlebell weight. Select a weight that allows you to perform 12 repetitions unbroken for all rounds. This is a moderate weight where the last 3-4 reps become challenging.

Workout

Part 1

AMRAP 12 minutes (As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes)

• 12 Kettlebell swings (overhead or eye-level) (Alternatives: double dumbbell swing or a single dumbbell swing keeping reps even between sides)

• 12 Overhead squats (or your selected option)

• 24 Mountain Climbers (right + left = 1 repetition)

Part 2

Core TABATA - (20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest) - 6 minutes.

Perform each movement sequentially until you have completed each round of 3 movements 4 times.

• V-Ups

• Oblique Twists - weighted

• Sit-ups (Ab mat style: Use an ab mat or rolled towel supporting your lower back. Alternatively, perform sit-ups with knees bent/feet anchored).

Cool-Down

15-minute Back Bending Yoga. Take 15 minutes to cool down and rebalance your back and front body.

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