The overhead squat, or as they are commonly called in the crossfit community, the overhead, is an exercise that originated in weightlifting and is used as one of the lead-in movements to perform a competitive push.
In modern conditions, overhead is not used very often. The exceptions are clubs where crossfit is practiced - modern power all-around. There are two main reasons why squatting with a barbell over your head is so rarely seen in the performance of ordinary "pitching":
- Firstly, the technique for performing this exercise is very complicated, you cannot take a lot of weight (at least immediately) - which means you don’t show off in front of your friends, and it’s not very cool to squat with an empty bar in front of the surrounding fitness girls, and it’s even offensive to puff at the same time.
- Secondly, the human essence is such that rarely does anyone like to master something new - it is much more pleasant and habitual to be in the “comfort zone”, to make a standard lifter base and develop in one direction. Actually, if this applies to you, then you can not read further. If, in addition to strength and muscle volume, you are interested in developing mobility, flexibility, coordination, we will analyze the technique of performing squats with a barbell.
Execution technique
It is optimal to master the technique of doing squats with a barbell overhead from an empty bar, the bodybar is also suitable - we will begin to hone the technique with them in order to develop this movement as quickly as possible and move on to good weights.
Preparing for the starting position
And so, we take an empty bar with a grip, much wider than the shoulders, little fingers - as close as possible to the landing bushings (these are the very things on which the pancakes are put on). Further, the technique depends on the starting position of the bar - you pick it up from the racks, or take it off the floor. If we learn to move from the position of the bar from the floor: we sit down to the bar as if we were going to do deadlift (you know how to do deadlift, right?), Put our legs a little wider than the shoulders, as steadily as possible, rest against the floor with our whole foot, bend our back in the lower back.
Further, with a continuous movement, we unbend the knees, hip joint and lower back (just as if we were doing deadlift), but there is one thing, but at the same time we raise our elbows, as if stretching the bar along the body, when the bar reaches the chin, we tuck the hands under the bar and straighten elbows. In fact, we did the barbell snatch exercise - and came out to the starting position: the bar is overhead, the grip is wide enough. The back is straight, the lower back is in the arch, the legs are slightly wider than the shoulders and rest on the full foot - not with the heels, as in ordinary squats!
If you take the bar from the racks, then everything is much simpler: put the bar on the racks, at the level of the collarbones, take the bar as wide as possible, hold the bar, move away from the racks, use the impulse from the knees to push the press, pull the bar above our head - we find ourselves in previously described starting position.
The squat itself
Next, we go directly to the overhead squat:
- We take the pelvis back.
- We carry out the knees beyond the line of the toes (yes, we do it - otherwise you won't be able to blow your heads off to your menisci).
- we take straight arms with a barbell behind the body line - as if you were going to do a barbell press from behind the head.
- Controlled lowering the pelvis to the parallel of the femurs with the floor, or a little lower - you should not completely fall “to the floor” - the muscles of the thigh are relaxed in this position, the stabilization of the knee joint on their side is minimal - it is very easy to get injured.
- Then we rise from the squat - we start from the position of the head - we look straight up, the position of the head is as if you were being pulled up by the head. We tighten the deltoid muscles, stabilize the shoulder joints - and begin to unbend the knees and hip joints at the same time.
As strange as it may sound, we start to get up from the top of the body, first the barbell goes up, and then everything else. At the top point, the knees are not fully "inserted", we maintain tension in the muscles of the thighs. Thanks to this, we do not transfer the load to the knee and hip joints, and, which is also important, to the vertebrae of the lumbar spine.
Returning to the topic of knees - we carefully look so that the socks look strictly in the same direction as the knees - again, remember about injury prevention.
Grip
A few more words about the grip when squatting with a barbell overhead: we strongly recommend that you take the bar wider than your shoulders, and the wider the better, to minimize the distance between the barbell and the upper shoulder girdle - this will facilitate the exercise, plus, will stabilize the body. However, if you want to make it harder for yourself, you can tackle it. However, be prepared for the fact that the narrower you grip the bar, the more unstable your position will be and the more difficult it will be for you to maintain an upright body position, especially when standing up. Well, the risk of injury will increase many times over. Do you need it - think for yourself.
Another tip - don't chase weight, put on the technique (preferably with the help of a qualified trainer), work with your flexibility - especially this shakes the elasticity of the tendons of the adductor muscles of the thighs, Achilles tendons, wrists. I suggest you find the appropriate stretching exercises yourself.
And let the difficulties of the execution technique do not hold you back - with the delivered technique and decent working weights, you will receive significant advantages compared to the guys who practice only the standard lift squat - intermuscular coordination, a strong grip, full joint mobility, powerful muscles of the upper shoulder girdle - I think for the sake of it is worth to devote a month - another mastering of a new movement for yourself
