5 Mobility Drills To Improve Your Overhead Squat

Are your overhead squats holding you back? You’re not alone!

The overhead squat is a powerful movement and is necessary for the Barbell Snatch.

It is the most complex squat variation of the in CrossFit behind the Air Squat, Back Squat, and Front Squat.

However, it demands exceptional mobility from CrossFit athletes in the shoulders, hips, and ankles.

Without proper mobility, your form can suffer, leading to poor performance and potential injury.

It is a favorite exercise of mine because it is challenging to master and can be used as an assessment to determine the corrective exercises that should be in your training program. (1)

I frequently use the overhead squat as an assessment for my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program clients.

This week, we’ll discuss the importance of mobility for the overhead squat and my top five key exercises for unlocking your movement.

Whether you’re new to CrossFit or a seasoned vet, these drills will help you build the flexibility and control you need to master the overhead squat.

How To Perform The Overhead Squat

Here is how to properly execute the Overhead Squat Movement

• Set your stance: Start with your feet in a squat stance shoulder-width apart, with your toes slightly turned out.
• Grip width: Take a wide grip on the barbell (snatch grip), holding it overhead with arms fully extended.
• Activate your shoulders: Push the bar up, keeping your shoulders active and stable.
• Engage your core: Brace your core to maintain midline stability and keep a neutral spine.
• Initiate the squat: Push your hips back and down while bending your knees, starting the descent.
• Maintain bar path: Keep the bar in line with the middle of your feet throughout the movement.
• Track your knees: Ensure your knees follow the direction of your toes without collapsing inward.
• Lower to depth: Continue descending until your hips drop below the knees (hip crease below parallel).
• Stay balanced: Keep the weight evenly distributed through your heels and mid-foot.
• Stand up: Drive through your heels, extend your hips and knees, and return to a standing position while keeping the bar overhead with active shoulders.

Mobility In the Overhead Squat

It’s easy to get caught up in the strength aspect of the OHS—most want to lift more and go heavier— but you can’t out-lift poor mobility.

This is like trying to drive a high-performance sports car with flat tires— you can get where you’re going but with high wear and tear.

Why Mobility Is Crucial for Overhead Squat Success

If you’re not mobile, your overhead squat is going to suffer.

Without a nearly full range of motion, most of the major joints of the body, you won’t be able to get into the overhead squat position and handle heavy loads overhead.

Think of mobility as the foundation upon which everything else is built. Without it, you’re building strength on top of dysfunction.

With good mobility, your body moves more freely and efficiently, allowing you to maintain a solid overhead position without compensating.

This means better performance and a lower risk of injury.

How Restricted Mobility Leads To Poor Form and Injury Risk

If you’re tight in any of the key areas (we’ll get to those in a minute), your body will find a way to get the job done—but probably not the way you want.

Restricted mobility often leads to compensatory movements, like rounding your lower back too much or dropping your chest.

These aren’t just minor annoyances; they can cause some serious problems over time.

Imagine trying to hold a heavy barbell overhead with your shoulders hunched forward.

Not so efficient, right?

Over time, these compensations can lead to shoulder impingements, lower back pain, or worse.

Key Mobility Areas: Shoulders, Thoracic Spine, Hips, and Ankles

You need to be mobile for the OHS in four key areas of the upper body and the lower body.

1. Shoulders: Your shoulders and your shoulder blades need to have full range of motion to keep the barbell locked out overhead.
   If your shoulders are tight, you might find yourself struggling to keep the bar aligned overhead.
2. Thoracic Spine: This is the middle part of your back, and it needs to be flexible enough to allow you to maintain an upright torso during the squat.
   Poor thoracic spine mobility can also impair our ability to maintain the overhead position.
3. Hips: Hip mobility is crucial for getting deep into the squat.
   If your hips are tight, you’ll either struggle to reach full depth or you’ll end up with the dreaded “butt wink.”
4. Ankles: Last but not least, your ankles need a good range of motion to allow your knees to track over your toes and reach full depth.
   Limited ankle mobility can cause your heels to lift off the ground, destabilizing your entire squat and putting extra strain on your knees and lower back.

Mobility vs Stability in Overhead Squats

Mobility and stability go hand in hand, especially in a movement like the overhead squat.

You can’t have one without the other. When your mobility is on point, you can get into the right positions more easily.

This means your muscles can more effectively stabilize the weight, leading to a stronger, more controlled squat.

Without stability, your strength performance is capped, and your brain won’t let you access the range you have.

The key is to work on both: improve your mobility and focus on stability to maintain control throughout the movement.

Common Compensations and Pitfalls of Poor OHS Mobility

Let’s dive into the common compensations that happen when your mobility isn’t up to par, and what those compensations can mean for your squat (and your body).

Forward Trunk Lean

An excessive forward lean is one of the most common compensations with poor overhead squat mobility.

This happens with poor thoracic spine or shoulder mobility, and your body tries to find balance by leaning forward.

Leaning forward also increases shear forces on your lower back, putting you at a higher risk for injury.

Plus, it makes it much harder to hold the bar overhead.

You’ll feel like you’re constantly fighting to keep it in place, and that’s a battle you’re not likely to win for long.

Lack of Squat Depth

We’ve all been there: you think you’re hitting depth, but you’re not even close.

This is another classic sign of poor mobility, especially in the hips and ankles.

When you can’t squat deep enough, you end up with incomplete repetitions and the dreaded “no rep”.

Worse yet, your lower back often tries to compensate for the lack of depth by rounding, which not only decreases your force production but also increases the risk of back strain or injury.

Knee Valgus

The dreaded knee valgus—when your knees cave in during the squat.

This is often a sign of tight hips or weak glutes, both of which are tied to poor mobility/stability. (2)

When your knees cave in, you’re placing negative forces on the knee joint, leading to pain or long-term damage if left unchecked.

Not to mention, when your knees aren’t tracking correctly, your force production takes a nosedive.

Making your overhead squat a lot less effective and capping your Olympic lift performance.

My Top 5 Mobility Exercises For The Overhead Squat

Use these exercises in your workouts to help mobilize the necessary joints and optimize your overhead squat. 

Mobility Drill #1: 1/2 Kneeling Overhead Banded Distraction

The 1/2 Kneeling Overhead Banded Distraction targets shoulder flexibility—something essential for anyone looking to improve their overhead squat.

This exercise uses a resistance band to create a gentle pulling force on the shoulder joint, helping to release tightness and increase range of motion.

This drill lets you achieve a more stable and effective overhead position during the squat.

This means you can keep the barbell directly over your center of gravity, maintain an upright torso, and minimize stress on your lower back, leading to a more stronger overhead squat.

How To Do It

• Attach one end of a resistance band to a secure point at shoulder height or higher.
• Place the other end of the band around your wrist, palm facing up.
• Kneel on one knee with the same-side leg forward, torso upright.
• Raise your banded arm overhead, letting the band pull your arm slightly behind your ear.
• Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, or gently move your torso forward/backward and side-to-side to deepen the stretch.
• Repeat the stretch on the opposite side.

Mobility Drill #2: Thoracic Spine Extensions Over Foam Roller

Thoracic Spine Extensions over a foam roller are a fantastic mobility exercise that targets the upper and middle back, which is often stiff and neglected.

For anyone working on improving their overhead squat, this drill is a must.

Focusing on the thoracic spine can enhance your ability to maintain your overhead position during the squat, which is crucial for keeping the barbell balanced overhead.

This exercise helps in loosening up the thoracic vertebrae, allowing for better extension and posture.

How To Do It

• Place a foam roller on the floor and lie down with it positioned horizontally under your upper back (thoracic spine).
• Place your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest.
• Slowly extend your upper back over the foam roller, arching your spine gently while keeping your lower back and hips on the floor.
• Hold the extended position for a few seconds, taking deep breaths to relax into the stretch.
• Move slightly up or down the roller to target different segments of your thoracic spine and repeat the extension.
• Continue the movement for about 1-2 minutes, focusing on particularly tight areas.

Mobility Drill #3: 1/2 Kneeling Band Anterior Hip Mobilization

The 1/2 Kneeling Band Anterior Hip Mobilization is a highly effective drill for targeting hip flexibility, specifically addressing the hip flexors and front of the hip joint.

This exercise is particularly beneficial for improving the overhead squat because tight hip flexors can limit your ability to reach full squat depth.

This drill uses a resistance band to create a distraction force at the hip, helping to open up the hip joint and allowing for better extension and a more upright torso during the squat.

How To Do It

• Secure a resistance band at a low point on a squat rack or similar anchor.
• Step into the band, positioning it high on the front of your thigh, close to the hip joint.
• Kneel down with the banded leg forward, and the back knee on the ground.
• Lean your hips forward slightly, allowing the band to create a gentle pull on the hip joint.
• Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, gently rocking forward and backward to deepen the stretch.
• Repeat the mobilization on the opposite hip.

Mobility Drill #4: Hip 90/90 Rotations

Hip 90/90 Rotations improve both hip internal and external rotation—two key components for a solid overhead squat.

This exercise focuses on the rotation of the hip joint, which is crucial for achieving proper squat depth.

This drill also helps in preventing common compensations, such as hip pinching, and knee valgus.

How To Do It

• Sit on the floor with your legs bent at 90 degrees, one leg in front and one leg behind you (this is the 90/90 position).
• Keep your torso upright and your back straight.
• Slowly rotate your hips to switch sides, bringing the rear leg to the front and the front leg to the rear, maintaining the 90-degree angles.
• Place your hands on the floor behind you for support as needed.
• Continue rotating from side to side, focusing on smooth, controlled movements.

Mobility Drill #5: Pause Overhead Squats

Pause Overhead Squats are a movement-specific drill, that mobilizes and strengthens the movement simultaneously.

​These can be done with a PVC pipe, an empty barbell, or a light load relative to your one rep maximum.

Holding the squat’s bottom position for a few seconds challenges and strengthens the soft tissus around the joint.

Over time, incorporating Pause Overhead Squats into your routine can help you achieve deeper, more controlled squats, leading to better performance and reduced injury risk.

How To Do It

• Start with a barbell overhead, standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Slowly descend into a deep squat, keeping the barbell stable overhead.
• Hold the bottom position of the squat for 3-5 seconds, focusing on maintaining an upright torso and stable shoulders.
• Keep your core engaged and take deep breaths to maintain stability.
• After the pause, drive through your heels to return to a standing position.
• Perform 3-5 repetitions per set, focusing on form and control.

Final Thoughts On Overhead Squat Mobility

I hope these five drills have shown you how to optimize your overhead squat!

Incorporating these five drills into your routine will unlock greater flexibility, enhance your squat technique, and reduce the risk of injury.

Consistency with mobility is key.

Start integrating these exercises into your daily warm-up or cooldown, and watch your overhead squat transform.

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References:

1. Sever, O., Kır, R., Baykal, C., Akyildiz, Z., & Nobari, H. (2023). Overhead squat assessment reflects treadmill running kinematics. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 15(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-023-00725-0
2. Dinis, R., Vaz, J. R., Silva, L., Marta, S., & Pezarat-Correia, P. (2021). Electromyographic and kinematic analysis of females with excessive medial knee displacement in the overhead squat. Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology, 57, 102530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102530