The combination of the Overhead Squat Assessment and Goniometry may highlight a lack of dorsiflexion, a lack of ankle stability, and muscle imbalances including a loss of calf flexibility , and/or a loss of invertor strength .
The Overhead Squat Assessment involves analyzing the movement patterns from three different viewpoints: the anterior, lateral, and posterior.
// Overhead Squat Problem #1: ankle / hip mobility
It will put the strain primarily on the quads and can cause overuse injuries overtime. Does your low back round and butt tuck under at the bottom of your squat? This will create a unstable position and a potentially harmful position when loaded.
That means three points of pressure: heel, big toe, and pinky toe, which keeps the weight evenly distributed throughout the whole foot. Keeping these three points of contact, and keeping the weight distributed evenly throughout the foot keeps a proper center of balance of the body throughout the whole squat.
Two common movement impairments to observe from the anterior view include feet turning out and knee valgus (knees caving inward). From the lateral view, common movement impairments include an anterior pelvic tilt, excessive forward lean of the torso, and arms falling forward.
With your hands placed in your snatch grip, hold the barbell overhead, with your elbows locked out, the bar behind your head, directly over the base of your spine. Squeeze your shoulder blades back, push up into the bar without letting your shoulders rotate forward excessively, and then descend into a squat.
The overhead squat is a dynamic movement assessment. It is the quickest way to gain an overall impression of a client's functional status. This assessment helps to evaluate one's dynamic flexibility, core strength, balance, and overall neuromuscular control.
During an Overhead Squat Assessment feet turn out is a sign of lower extremity dysfunction associated with excessive tibial external rotation (and potentially restriction in dorsiflexion).
One common observation during the squat assessment is excessive forward lean, which may indicate a lack of hip mobility or core stability. Other potential observations during the assessment may include spinal flexion, forward weight shift, or toes elevating.
The overhead squat is difficult because you're balancing a loaded barbell overhead and then you have to squat down while maintaining a strong core and tight shoulders. Many athletes have the strength for this movement but are lacking in the mobility to get into the ideal position.
The deep squat is used to assess bilateral, symmetrical, functional mobility of the hips, knees, and ankles.
Key Muscles Used In Squats
Weak quadriceps may be the culprit for a poor squat, causing issues with weight progression. Or you could be faced with issues in the glutes, hamstrings, hips, or knees, which could also be affecting your squats, causing you to hit a wall and plateau.
OHS — Overhead Squat. PC — Power Clean. Pd — Pood (weight measure for Kettlebells)
If someone has a shoulder or hip limitation, just working on the fundamentals (air squat, goblet squat, front squat) and going to a box (slightly above or at parallel) if needed until strength and full depth is achieved will suffice.
The most common variation of the overhead squat includes a pause in the bottom position to further train stability, strength and balance. The overhead squat is also very commonly combined into a complex with snatch push presses or one or more snatch balances preceding it.
(12, 13, 33, 42) Deficits identified during the back squat that can impair performance can be categorized as either inefficient motor unit coordination or recruitment (neuromuscular), muscle weakness, strength asymmetry or joint instability (strength), and/or joint immobility or muscle tightness (mobility).