One of the trickiest movements for many people beginning Olympic weightlifting is the overhead squat. The combination of thoracic, hip, and ankle mobility required to safely and efficiently perform the movement challenges most, and stumps some. Check out this Catalyst Athletics Q&A for some tips to improve your flexibility for the OHS:
Flexibility for the Overhead Squat
And just in case (tl;dr), here’s a short list:
1. Regular mobility (dynamic/static stretching, soft tissue work) throughout the day never hurts.
2. Overhead squat EVERY DAY if your OHS sucks, even if you have to use a PVC pipe. Technique is important.
3. Squat the same way every time you squat, whether it’s back, front, air or overhead.
4. Do squatting-specific stretches before OHS, such as the Spiderman lunge, Russian baby-maker, Cossack, and lateral hamstring stretch.
5. Improve your ankle mobility.
6. Improve your thoracic mobility – kyphosis (rounding of the upper back) negatively affects the OHS far more than mobility of the shoulder joint.
