Overhead Squat

Muscles worked by the Overhead Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeSide DeltsLateral DeltoidTrapsTrapezius

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Overhead Squat

1. Hold a barbell overhead with a wide snatch grip and arms locked out.
2. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Squat down by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
4. Keep the bar directly over the middle of your feet.
5. Drive through your heels to stand back up.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Keep your armpits facing forward to lock the bar in place.
• Keep the bar over mid-foot with a more upright torso than a back squat.
• Work on shoulder and ankle mobility before adding load.

At a glance

Overhead Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Pistol Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "overhead-squat",
  "name_en": "Overhead Squat",
  "name_de": "Überkopf-Kniebeuge",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla con Barra en Alto",
  "description_en": "A squat with a barbell locked out overhead in a wide snatch grip, demanding mobility, stability, and a strong core.",
  "description_de": "Eine Kniebeuge mit der Langhantel über Kopf im breiten Reißgriff — verlangt Mobilität, Stabilität und einen starken Rumpf.",
  "description_es": "Una sentadilla con la barra bloqueada por encima de la cabeza con agarre ancho de arrancada, que exige movilidad, estabilidad y un core fuerte.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "lateral_deltoid",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Hold a barbell overhead with a wide snatch grip and arms locked out.",
    "Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.",
    "Squat down by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.",
    "Keep the bar directly over the middle of your feet.",
    "Drive through your heels to stand back up.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Halte eine Langhantel mit breitem Reißgriff über den Kopf, Arme gestreckt.",
    "Steh leicht weiter als schulterbreit.",
    "Beuge Hüften und Knie in eine Kniebeuge.",
    "Halte die Stange direkt über der Mitte des Fußes.",
    "Drücke durch die Fersen zurück in den Stand.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Sostén una barra por encima de la cabeza con un agarre ancho de arrancada y los codos bloqueados.",
    "De pie con los pies ligeramente más abiertos que la anchura de los hombros.",
    "Baja en sentadilla empujando las caderas hacia atrás y doblando las rodillas.",
    "Mantén la barra directamente sobre el punto medio de los pies.",
    "Impulsa a través de los talones para volver a ponerte de pie.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your armpits facing forward to lock the bar in place.",
    "Keep the bar over mid-foot with a more upright torso than a back squat.",
    "Work on shoulder and ankle mobility before adding load."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Drehe die Achseln nach vorn, um die Stange zu fixieren.",
    "Halte die Stange über der Fußmitte, mit aufrechterem Oberkörper als bei der Kniebeuge.",
    "Arbeite an Schulter- und Sprunggelenksmobilität, bevor du Gewicht auflegst."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Gira las axilas hacia delante para fijar la barra en su sitio.",
    "Mantén la barra sobre el mediopié, con el torso más erguido que en una sentadilla trasera.",
    "Trabaja la movilidad de hombros y tobillos antes de añadir peso."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/overhead-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/overhead-squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "overhead-squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.