Overhead Squat is a compound exercise targeting the legs: several joints work together, it takes heavy loading well and belongs at the start of a session. Secondary muscles: shoulders, core, glutes. Equipment: barbell. Difficulty: advanced, requires solid technique and training history. It takes 5 steps; the most common mistake is covered in the tip below.

Step-by-step

Grip the bar with a very wide (snatch) grip and lock it out overhead
Arms locked, feet slightly wider than shoulder width
Keep the bar over mid-foot as you sit your hips back and down
Descend below parallel keeping your torso as upright as possible
Drive through your heels to stand, keeping the bar on the same vertical line

Coaching tip

Test your shoulder and hip mobility with an empty bar first; the bar path must stay over mid-foot.

Caution

Skip this move or ask a professional first if you have pain or an injury in: shoulder, lower back, knee. FitCi filters it out of your program automatically based on the injuries in your profile.

How to program it

Sets × reps and rest by goal; load and long rest matter most on compound lifts. Start at the bottom of the range in week one; add 2.5–5% when you hit the top with clean form.

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 4-6	180 s
Muscle gain	3 × 6-10	150 s
Fat loss / conditioning	3 × 10-15	90 s

FitCi applies this table to your age and goal automatically and writes weekly progression.

Alternatives

At home, no equipment: Bodyweight Squat, Wall Sit
Same muscle, different equipment: Goblet Squat, Leg Press, Hack Squat

More legs exercises

Add this exercise to your program

Build your own program in FitCi, pick an expert template, or photograph the plan your coach gave you; the app tracks sets, reps and weight.

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