Exercise guide · Olympic Lifts

Barbell Overhead Squat

The overhead squat holds a barbell locked out overhead through a deep squat. It develops leg strength, trunk control, shoulder stability, and the mobility needed to receive and recover a snatch.

Targets: Quads
Equipment: Barbell
Type: Compound

Step by step

How to do the Barbell Overhead Squat

Take a wide grip and press or snatch the bar overhead with the arms locked and shoulders active.
Set the feet around squat width, brace the trunk, and stack the bar over the middle of the feet.
Bend the knees and hips together, keeping the chest lifted and the bar vertically balanced overhead.
Descend to a controlled depth while the knees track over the toes and the heels stay down.
Drive through the whole foot to stand without letting the bar drift forward or backward.

Form cues

Press up into the bar
Keep bar over midfoot
Chest tall
Sit between the heels

Common mistakes

Using a grip too narrow for stable shoulders
Letting the bar drift forward
Losing trunk tension at the bottom
Forcing depth beyond available mobility

Muscles worked

Primary

Quads

Secondary

Glutes, Side delts and Core

Safety: Practice with a dowel or empty bar and learn to release the bar safely forward or backward. Use a clear platform and stop for sharp shoulder, wrist, back, hip, or knee pain.

Alternatives

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