The secret to mastering the overhead squat

Woman squats holding a barbell overhead, while another woman kneels next to her and observes — (Image credit: Getty Images / Luis Alvarez)

I often look back fondly at how my fitness has improved over the years and notice how easy I now find moves I once found nearly impossible.

Sometimes it’s the little cues and tips that help you progress to more challenging workouts or master certain moves, so I’ve been asking certified personal trainers which move they once struggled with and what helped them finally master it.

When I spoke with Francesco Zen, a certified personal trainer and founder of ZLIFE, he pointed to one standout cue that helped him transform how he engages his glutes for an overhead squat.

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“The overhead squat is a full-body movement. It requires consistent mobility, core activation and flexibility,” says Zen. The overhead squat is an advanced squat variation where you hold a plastic pipe or barbell overhead as you squat.

Two people exercising in a gym holding a plastic pipe overhead — Everyone should master the overhead squat using an exercise stick or plastic pipe before attempting the move with a barbell.

Zen tells Fit&Well that the secret to a well-performed overhead squat is stability and full activation through your quads, core and—most importantly—your glutes. “The glutes support the whole movement, top to bottom,” he says.

As you lower into your squat, Zen says you should shift your weight toward the outer part of your feet and push your knees outward.

“A simple variation on the traditional angle [of your position] changes the whole thing,” he says.

Of course, while engaging the glutes correctly helped Zen perfect his overhead squat form, practicing it regularly is the only way to develop the unique combination of mobility and stability required.

If you’re looking for a new challenge and would like to add the overhead squat to your locker, here’s how Zen suggests approaching it. Even if you never squat with a loaded barbell overhead, doing the preparatory work will help develop your squat mechanics.

How to prepare for an overhead squat

If you’ve never done an overhead squat, then it’s best to work up to it in stages.

First, you need good mobility in your ankles, hips, spine and shoulders.

To develop that you can practice the move with just your bodyweight, raising your arms overhead. You can improve your spinal and shoulder mobility for this version with a squat and reach against a wall and a wall-facing squat with raised arms.

Once you’re ready to perform the movement without support, then hold a gym dowel, plastic pipe or even a broom to train your shoulder and spine alignment. This is also the best way to warm up for weighted overhead squats.

Zen also suggests novices try a Frankenstein squat—weighted or unweighted—to develop the stability you need for an overhead squat.

How to do a Frankenstein squat

Frankenstein Squat - YouTube

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This move follows the same concept as an overhead squat, but you extend your arms forward at shoulder height, balancing a gym dowel or barbell across the front of your shoulders.

“With your arms forward instead of overhead, the position is much easier to stabilize,” says Zen.

“It works the same core, glute and mobility foundations, and it's a simpler move to master before a full overhead squat.”

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes outward.
Raise your arms out in front of you at shoulder height, parallel to the floor.
If you are using a barbell, balance it on top of your shoulders, a little in front of your chin.
Maintain an upright back as you bend your knees to lower, tracking them outward over your toes—keeping them wide and shifting your weight onto the outer parts of your feet helps to engage your glutes.
Push through your feet and squeeze your glutes to rise, keeping your arms steady and parallel to the floor throughout the movement.

How to do an overhead squat

The Overhead Squat: CrossFit Foundational Movement - YouTube

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Now we’re at the more advanced move, so we suggest working with an exercise professional or spotter if you can.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly.
Hold a barbell or a plastic pipe in front of your thighs with your hands in an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
Raise the bar overhead so it’s directly over your shoulders with your elbows locked.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
Push your hips back and bend your knees, keeping your knees tracking over your feet as you lower, and your spine upright and your chin slightly lifted throughout.
Pause at the bottom of the movement, keeping the bar steady.
Push through your feet to return to the starting position.

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet's Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health.