HOW To Overhead Squat: Mobility, Technique & Strength

[@informedfitness2642]

I prefer the overhead deadlift

[@OmarIsuf]

Informed Fitness we call that a "Couch Front Raise"

[@informedfitness2642]

OmarIsuf do a video lol

[@Aerodynamic999]

You mean a snatch

[@johnwillis4681]

The overheadlift?

[@martinv1995]

@@johnwillis4681 The overdeadheadlift

[@michaelhealey8576]

You didn't even cover any mobility issues that might be exposed with this movement.

[@edwardjones282]

Much appreciated. I'm trying to mature my overhead squat so that I can snatch. This vid gave me some good nuggets to think about and incorporate. I will def start doing OHSs before my squat routine.

[@djBC10000]

i recently did 135 lbs for 8 reps with this movement, i highly recommend it as it will make your back, shoulders, traps and legs much stronger. it will also improve your core strength.

[@kvash1039]

I've been training for strongman, and my buddy says all I need to do is squat conventional to parallel, and get stupid strong and lift heavy af, but since I started doing overhead squats I realize my improved athleticism has allowed me to get way stronger : ) I totally agree

[@guppermusic]

@@kvash1039 certain exercises are better for different goals. If you’re training for powerlifting I’d just do conventional squat. But if you want to train for power and athleticism this exercise is great for you

[@vero0992]

Thanks for this video. I'm really struggling with my shoulder/ankle mobility for the OH squat, snatch, snatch balance, etc. Super frustrating because I know the strength is there. This video helped. Hopefully the mobility will come as I keep practicing.

[@dante199316]

can you make a video about how to FAIL on a snatch Omar :). I think its an extremely important aspect of learning the snatch and we haven't touched it yet. Love these new content, if you could slow-mo the movement that would be very helpful too.

[@jakemeades356]

tried oh squats today, 10kg felt heavy hahahaha (my max back squat is around 110). These are ALOT harder than they look!

[@anthonydye9621]

Just mastered this move. Max lift up to now is 40kg, nut took me 6 weeks of mobility and tekkers to get there.

[@universaInformation]

my 15 years old daughter did 60kg overhead in first try,she is strong but i need know if is it impressive before I start sharing video of her.what is the good result for 68 kg?

[@anthonydye9621]

That's a good weight, the chances at 15 she will have full range of movement. My problem was years of static training had caused me to lock up. Post the video and let people feedback

[@universaInformation]

then you should change your undies take shower regularly,stop shitting yourself,loser

[@universaInformation]

guess what she is 15 she also does 300kg leg press,guess what she is also karate champion,guess what she is also muay thai fighter which is unique,you will never see karateka fighting under muay thai rules,do not worry mate after couple of years you will pay PPV to watch her on tv

[@caleb74helms]

Even though I will probably never overhead squat, I love how informational these videos are. Great work Omar.

[@Sunbunzz]

Also Coach Brian is super helpful I appreciate and love your guys collabs OmarIsuf

[@Alvsmondares]

I've noticed the over head squat will definitely humble you. I have a 460 squat and anything over 135 OH feels like 315 haha

[@jojomack5433]

Sadly I tried this a year ago with just the bar and I almost fell... More than once... LOL... *SIGH *

[@Alvsmondares]

Jojo Mack​ Haha! I'd love to see a video of that attempt. I think I'll be able to get a 315 OH squat within a year with enough practice.

[@jojomack5433]

WOW ... I'll be happy with 135 in a year brother

[@NickTheCasualGuy]

That's weird. When I was able to squat 225 I could overhead squat 135 with ease... Now at 365 its bout 200. You must be stiff af.

[@Alvsmondares]

Nick TheCasualGuy first of all... thats what she said... second of all, I don't think its a mobility issue cause I work at a physical therapy clinic and I always have the physios do FMAs and everything is great, but I will say my overhead strength is pretty embarrassing. I would guess its a stability issue of the shoulder, but I digress, I just need to stop bein a lil beeyotch haha.

[@papaknuthson]

I'd like to see more of your journey omar. It would interesting to see you working with ur coach and asessing imbalances etc.

[@marinamakarova4489]

КАК ДЕЛАТЬ ОВЕРХЕД ПРИСЕДАНИЯ (перевод на русский язык) Выполнение оверхед приседаний делает регулярные классические приседания / фронтальные приседания намного легче (лучшее положение). Проблемы, такие как «удержание корпуса и рук в вертикальном положении» на приседах, устраняются, если вы можете сделать рывок 175 кг. 1.Используйте рывковый хват (когда в висе, бар должен быть около вашего бедра). 2. Чтобы попасть в положение для приземления на корточках, вы должны делать push-жим, жим из-за головы или рывок. 3. Бар, плечо и лодыжка должны быть в порядке. Обратите внимание, что планка, лодыжка и плечо выровнены. Любая потеря позиции будет нестабильной. 4. Приседание начинается со сгибания колена. 5. Приседание так глубоко, как ваша мобильность позволяет. 6. Это намного сложнее, чем кажется. Начать очень легко. 7. Используйте это как приседание (разминка, вы заметите, насколько легче приседать) Плечи должны быть отведены назад, опущены и лопатки сведены, НЕ поднимать плечи.

[@Divine_R]

I am starting my oly lifts and have found omars videos to be very helpful!! Omar, please continue making videos on the O lifts!!

[@lanceleader163]

I tried overhead squats today for the first time in like 6 years, and boyyy did it expose a ton of mobility issues for me. I am way too tight and need to become more flexible.

[@BluegillGreg]

An aluminum technique bar is great for learning this lift and for warming up this lift once it's learned. York's 15 pound Alumalight bar has been good to me for many years.

[@delciemcwhoopie]

This is a good video. I just re-visited it a year later and still helpful.

[@biggpan6101]

Great video!! Answers a lot of questions

[@NyerereThornton]

This was a great video, exactly what I've been looking for to help with the over head squat. Keep up the work and keep these damn videos coming!

[@f.k.6151]

Great video, and very useful. The point I picked up was to focus on proper form and take your time descending and ascending until your body gets used to doing this movement. What are some flexibility/mobility zone issues that an athlete can also focus on? An example question is if ankle mobility can be limiting the movement? Thanks.

[@peterarchimandritis4948]

Coach Brian explains things very well. Awesome video!

[@Inconsistentgamer]

Can you go over an assessment of what muscle are tight/over active is you cant get depth or if arms are falling forward? And what stretches will assist in fixing each issue.

[@ty1454]

"I doubt they will talk about if I should be shrugging my shoulders or not - which is what I'm looking to find out." Oh dang. They did!! This video covered everything thanks guys.

[@ultramajik]

Excellent instructional video. Clear and concise.

[@mmww_]

awwww yeah another coach bryan video

[@metallicaandskate]

Most underrated mobility exercise!!

[@Josh_wenig_Licht]

Great video I really like the explanation of the movement and the tips on what to watch for when performing the exercise this is kind of a trickier movement for me.

[@idonteven7534]

Brians getting pretty handsy with that squat rack, thats true lifting love.

[@Genoside15]

Liking this video because of Bmarsh's tender embrace of the power rack.

[@RubLox_Live]

a year later after this was uploaded and i can barely overhead squat

[@RubLox_Live]

***** oh ok thanks

[@cv5369]

Amazing video Omar not squatting today but def doing these before my ohp workout

[@johnsuzy98]

Very informative. Great video!😎💪🏻

[@Jaffacakez13]

I forgot why i stopped doing overhead bar squats as warmup. They were good.

[@Emp6ft10in]

I do this exercise as a warm up for every workout I do.

[@sukalyanchatterjee4729]

Awesome explanation sir

[@Pontus95]

Thanks for the great tips Omar and coach B!

[@wild4fp]

very difficult move.

[@joelbackman8330]

Not with his bs shoes.

[@davidbraeckmans1098]

Superb video! Great coach!

[@TheREUP]

Going to implement this into my warm up

[@wojciechpietka5329]

great stuff. about to hit the gym and do the overhead squat! Thanks for the advice guys, keep on ROCK´N!

[@TribalKatz]

5:51 I thought the shrug during the snatch was to prevent shoulder impingement. Correct me if I'm wrong. :)

[@mmww_]

Can we have a "How to: Coach Bryans hair" next? No homo of course

[@ILOVESQUATS]

Dude's hair is always on point mirin'

[@famasfan10]

Awesome video as usual!

[@JD_2597]

I'm getting numbness in my thumb and up my arm on my right side when I overhead squat, only on my right side. Why is this?

[@LHudsonARTLIFTS]

Sounds like a nerve impingement

[@JD_2597]

LHudson TV and how can I prevent It?

[@jamesrocheftw]

+Jack Dowd I get this too, even when doing back squats, just my right shoulder and arm

[@JD_2597]

James Roche I don't get it on any other exercise. It's just on overhead squats because of the downward pressure on the nerve

[@NickLiang]

It's called neural tension due to poor mobility or flexibility. Regular stretching and mobility exercises will allow the soft tissues to move more freely and reduced the pressure on the nerves. Make sure you warm up and stretch your shoulder before every session. Plenty of mobility work throughout the week will keep your shoulder nice and free and fix the problem.

[@sc0rp360]

For me it feels more comfortable if I do it with shoulders up. I used to do it like that also when I do handstand or doing military press. But I will try out both to look what is the best for me.

[@arg19101]

Thank you for this valuable information.

[@KVNFT]

I know this might be a little early since its the early stages of oly lifting but I like to see a video on the hookgrip release transition overhead in the snatch

[@Sunbunzz]

I LIKED THE FUCKING VIDEO OMAR OKAY ARE YOU HAPPY

[@OmarIsuf]

Sunny Rabani I CAN'T BE SATISFIED kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYSpXodrnNyXrrc

[@getdusty1]

Get your facts straight!! In Olympic lifting you do NOT need to do a squat that goes low to the ground. I do a split squat and can do way more this way than I could ever do with the "low to the ground" squat in the snatch. I can't even overhead squat an empty bar!! At the 2:10 mark, when I try this, all that happens is the bar comes way forward and I absolutely cannot go "butt to the floor". At 3:30, my alignment goes away AS SOON AS I go to the floor. I can overhead squat only with my arms going forward.

[@eliasoquendo9990]

I enjoy all sports of working out when it comes to powerlifting/oly/strongman keep it up Omar! Maybe one day we'll snatch or deadlift together

[@MrCliffhanger44]

You should address knees caving in/going over toes in oly lifting

[@awdawdawdawdawd8592]

Rolling out all kinds of content.. and making ALL KINDS OF GAINS!

[@mrfrank2324]

OmarIsuf if you have poor dorsiflexion how long should u work on fixing it per day? also how fast can you expect dorsiflexion to improve to allow you to squat ATG?

[@ChdeSandwich]

Interesting thoughts on the shoulder retraction. I know many people have different opinions on that. I feel more comfortable in the shrugged head forward position, like you see with a lot of the top Chinese lifters

[@Taxidermistification]

When doing all these lifts, how far apart should your feet be and where is all the weight distributed? Is it in the legs, back, what?

[@CoachArian]

Should the wrists be straight or bent back in the overhead squat?

[@freedk9]

would you recommend doing overhead squats without olys in the beginning?

[@mmww_]

you make this look way easy, tried it in the gym today and couldnt even do 1 rep with the bar

[@robbiemazzarino7834]

I have terrible ankle mobility due to fluid in my right ankle. I tore a bunch of ligaments playing basketball about a year ago so I got an MRI about 5 months after the initial injury and it said I have minimal fluid in my ankle. I was referred to an orthopedic but my insurance expired and now I'm left without insurance. What should I do in terms of improving my ankle mobility without getting the fluid removed? Love the olympic lifting videos by the way, keep em coming brotha!

[@ancalagon1919]

I was waiting this video.

[@forgot_my_name_again]

are there any specific excersices i can do to get better mobility i cannot even get my hands, shoulder, ancles in the same position standing straight?

[@CDelasaux]

My mobility sucks too much for these. On front squats I just feel like falling backwards and compensate by tilting my torso forward and thus the bar rolls off my arms! Ugh. I'm hoping the mobility routine Omar and Bryan posted help.

[@Truballa1010]

Awesome vid. Lol. But why's he hugging the cage?

[@alexvillavarayan1708]

lets see more workouts with you and coach fixing your technique and giving you certain queues to help out. What exercises does he prescribe to help fix your specific technical issues?

[@Oliver-jv5ww]

Omar halp, I love clean/jerk and ive been doing it since i was a freshman in highschool because my wrestling coach incorporated it into our training, however now that im graduating and lifting on my own I decided I really wanted to expand my oly lifting into snatching. How can I get comfortable with my snatch the same way im comfortable with my clean? When I clean I know how it feels when it feels good, but with snatch it just feels so strange. I think it must be that catching the bar in the front squat position is much more stable that catching the bar overhead. I know it will mostly take a lot of practice, but do you (or you fellow commenters) have any tips on really locking-in my snatch form? I dont base my entire routine around oly lifting, but i do do assistive exercises like wide grip behind the head OHP (i do it while sitting in a full squat to help maximize my ability to open up my hips), snatch grip overhead lunges (super setted with heavy dumbell lunges because I cant really hold enough weight over my head to be able to hit my legs hard), snatch balances (starting standing with barbell on back and snatch grip, pop hips and drop down catching in snatch position), and snatch pulls as well as doing adding a segmented pull and/or hang snatch in combination with any of these workouts, usually as part of the warm ups or earlier sets. When I do a full snatch I really try and focus/visualize on getting the bar to my hip position and then following through the hip/triple extension pulling straight up, after catching I usually like to pause in the overhead squat position to make sure im really flexing my core and lower back tightly and then squat down even lower to help get used to having the bar overhead in a full, deep squat position with hips open. I weigh give or take 148lbs depending on my hydration and have hit a 135lb snatch for a 1rm on multiple occasions now so i wouldnt say im completley foriegn to snatching but Im really looking to take my form up to the next level. Ive 1rm'd 185lbs for just a clean and done 165lbs for the full clean and jerk 1rm. Btw to anyone who makes it through this BOOK, thank you for your time.

[@justinbordwell4654]

What do you think about squatting on the smith bar if you don't have proper mobility?

[@alansimons3685]

Now that your focus has shifted to Olympic lifting, very curious to see if views gradually decline. Would guess that bodybuilding & powerlifting on KZbin has more interest than Olympic lifting.

[@OmarIsuf]

alan simons I've been around KZbin for a long time and from observing A LOT of trends, my guess is the following: as long as content is fresh/engaging, nope. If you can make people as excited about what you are doing as you are, that will always translates. Keep in mind, powerlifting wasn't popular at all until about two years ago on KZbin. It's new popularity is in part due to KZbinrs talking passionately about it. I can see the exact same thing happening with Olympic weightlifting. Especially considering that on a global level, weightlifting is quite a bit more popular (just not popular yet on the KZbins). Of course a segment of bros will be like "wtf that looks stupid"...at the start. Interestingly these are mainly the same bros that said deadlifts were stupid 4 years ago AND yet are currently running 5/3/1 (4 years later) LOL.

[@alansimons3685]

OmarIsuf Bodybuilding and powerlifting are very similar, think siblings. Same movements and movement patterns, same equipment, overlapping goals (size and strength), same workout-space (gym) requirements. Olympic lifting departs more dramatically from these fundamentals; at my very standard commercial gym, almost no one does Olympic-style lifting, and space considerations would actually preclude a large number of patrons from Olympic lifting at the same time. Most people would actually need a specialized gym (cross fit, Cal Strength, etc) for Olympic-style training.

[@gottfriedosterbach3907]

alan simons Eh, don't really think powerlifting has more in common with bodybuilding than Olympic lifting. Sure, training can have some more similarities especially in America where powerlifters incorporate a lot of bodybuilding style accessories, but when you actually break down goals, etc. powerlifting can be very different than bodybuilding. I think all three are siblings to an extent, but bodybuilding is the cousin who likes to preen. I think part of the problem is the term bodybuilding. Bodybuilders tend to use it with aesthetic competition in mind or at least primarily aesthetics being the concern where gym rats sometimes bandy it about as a general term for weight training. Both powerlifting and Olympic lifting have the primary focus of training to move weight while with bodybuilding it is the means to a different end. All in all when you break it down and remove a lot of the fluff off the term bodybuilding powerlifting and Olympic lifting are like brothers of which Olympic lifting is the older brother and bodybuilding is a cousin that moves weights to look good for the beach. Yeah, the last thing sounds kind of dickish to bodybuilders, but it is about appearance first and foremost not to say that it isn't highly competitive or that those who train are not strong. Powerlifting all in all is a bit closer to Olympic lifting than say Crossfit which even though it incorporates Olympic movements directly isn't about competition single rep lifts and far closer than bodybuilding which doesn't even compete using weights. Really the common denominator is weight training not bodybuilding as a sport.

[@piterdegraaf4337]

Still there is only one big channel devoted to Olympic weightlifting and that is this channel. I think that creating such unique content will only increase his subscribers and views. Because it is new and interesting. While a lot has been said about powerlifting and bodybuilding there is not a lot of olympic lifting on youtube.

[@BooMy50]

alan simons I see a shit ton more hypertrophy/bodybuilding style training in olympic lifting than i do in powerlifting.

[@Furbolg123]

Great video, but i'm still having some trouble with the movement. I notice that putting something under my heels (like a lifting-shoe) makes the difference for me in this movement. Without it, i jus tend to fall over and feel a lot of stress in my lower back. Also my upper back and shoulders feel very tight and i have trouble getting te bar up behind my neck and keeping it there (causes the falling over). I reckon it's a flexibility/mobility issue and i was wondering if there are any specific stretching exercies to improve this?

[@coachtaz]

Just did 135 lb overhead this morning, felt really good but still need to work on ankle mobility.

[@saraths4150]

cooolll video omarr........greattt

[@joshua_kuluris]

Starting to incorporate these

[@Sens23Bruins]

How wide of a hand placement should you use for this? I noticed yours was a lot wider than Brian's.

[@bryanholzer2782]

sizeOVERstrength You have your hands wide enough so that the bar will be in the crease of your hip. It's mostly dependent on body proportions.

[@Younz112]

Bryan mentioned working within your range of motion you can do proper reps on, the more you do will your range of motion start to increase?

[@bedypus]

quality shit!! brian is a genius

[@sboj56]

Can we get a How To Deadlift video with coach Brian? Conventional and Sumo will be better.

[@dummkompf]

the guy doing the demonstration at around 2:20 is going in to anterior pelvic tilt on the way down, and then buttwinking back to neutral at the bottom. tighten up those abs!

[@Mrmagiccity27]

OmarIsuf Great vid as always. I've a question about the shoes. I'm guessing wearing oly style shoes where the heel is raised would make this a little easier and more stable, especially if one's lacking ankle mobility. Doing this flat-soled shoes or no shoes, would the alignment for the ankle, shoulder, and bar stay exactly the same or would there be some tweaking on the form? I don't have ankle mobility issues, so I'm asking more as the in-general context. You better answer my goddamned question, Omar, or I'll put a curse on your calves.

[@ObjectFitness]

I struggle with the calf mobility I can't get ATG in my back squat because of the restriction. The real problem is that I spend significant time trying to stretch my calves with no success. I have not found any good videos to help me mobilize these calves beyond normal conventional techniques. Any thoughts?

[@shawnpiper5665]

Should you do overhead squat for reps

[@MeleDrummer]

Should you force an external rotation with your shoulders?

[@dabig401]

Excuse me guys, but is correct to "pull outward" the bar to maintain it overhead?

[@mixanikos2]

Awesome tips thanks.

[@TomFox1]

I don't squat but this information is very unique.

[@jasonilioski3461]

thanks for the help😀

[@AlexPlamadeala1]

Awesome video !

[@Venged3DG]

How do you loosen up tight hips on squat? I sumo deadlift 3 days prior and I can't get my gluten or hips to fire on the squat at all. Don't tell me foam rolling I've tryed

[@maxwillson]

I definitely need to work on my overhead squat. I have a bad habit of just power snatching it and then when it comes to the heavy weight I can't get low enough ahaha

[@GG-eg6kn]

Why does my mid back look like a prawn when I do this? Same when I front squat🦐

[@B_uttcrumbs]

These are more difficult than they look. I don't know what to call it, but something feels tight in my core when I try to overhead squat. I think I just need to train it until it feels right. Great vid.

[@DjRickeyRicardo]

Thank omar i have to get used to this with 150lbs

[@WarIII941]

I try many times this exercise but when I start going down " with a wood barbell " I lost stability and fall forward or back fall

[@chelseaislovely]

Hey. The couple of times I've attempted to do overhead squats, even with relatively light weight, I find that my left hand and part of my left arm begin to feel tingly and numb. The feeling lasts for a couple hours afterwards. It's quite uncomfortable as you can imagine. I've tried messing around with form but it happens regardless. Do you think this is due to some type of nerve impingement? What could I try doing to address this?

[@lydialopezcoaching000]

just what I needed!

[@rudyiseeyoubaby3667]

Hey Omar, when you doing a janoy cresva collab

[@SpaZn509]

If ur lifting by yourself how can u tell if your in alignmeny

[@migmagingenieria]

Good vid guys, thanks!!!

[@marino4691]

i cant even do a good form overhead squat with just the bar. lol

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

Me neither. And I can back squat 225x5.

[@MadzP1992]

Would just like to state that the chinese lifters completely disagrees with your lockout of the bar. They teach and preach max internal rotation and trying to get the elbows behind and it automatically shrugs the shoulders. This position is much more stable for the bar to be in. Just if people wanted a different view :)

[@LazyBoyee65]

Mads Petersen this

[@bradvincent2586]

Yeah well that's fucking retarded. Check out Kelly Starrett and his critique of the Chinese's "knees-in" squat. Same thing applies

[@MadzP1992]

Brad Vincent If you think thats retarded its up to you. Chinese does alot of different things then other countries regarding technique and exercises and i think there is a reason why chinese have some of the best lifters. Just because kelly disagrees doesnt mean he is right. Even Dan Green teaches knees in, just for a different view again. Dont get locked down on one thougt, but be open minded. Not every coach in china deliberately cue the knees in squat. They just normally cue just to push with your legs. If these things were dangerous or stupid i'm pretty sure china coaches wouldn't teach it.

[@guam58]

Brad Vincent we were just talking about this with the oly coach at our box. The articles published about "knees in" state that the purpuse is to engage your hamstrings better. I haven't tried as I am so use to knees out and for me that means over my last three toes. There are foundational technique to get beginning lifters like myself to keep from getting injured and build the accessory muscles. But, over time you create your style that works for you due to mobility issues. For me some of the chinese techniques work for me due to my speed, but incorporate some european technique because I have goodnupper body strength.

[@pete9715]

Now for the true overhead squat. Close-grip overhead squat.

[@jeremyzhang2504]

Pete hahahahahaha

[@andreasholzner-sportperfor611]

Great video!!