Overhead Squats for Core Strength

I’m looking to improve my core strength, to improve my squat and deadlift. Are overhead squats useful at all in this regard? I decided to fuck around doing them at the end of a workout and had a lot of fun.

I hate doing standard core work, and since I enjoy these, maybe I could throw them in so I stop skipping that musclegroup.

Comments?

My comments?

diaf

:>

Ugh.

Core strength is such a buzzword…

You’ll probably have more luck with ab wheel rollouts, difficult plank variations and rotator/anti rotator work like Full Contact Twists and Pallof Presses.

If you like them & do them with decent form keep doing them - more a show exercise IMO but I still a staple in my leg workouts; I use them to check on my level of posterior chain strength lol - I’d love to get up to 2 plates per side without killing myself. Stuck at 185 right now

I would think it hits the core very well unless you’re doing them wrong.

Other than that keep doing the squats & DLs - I would think doing the actual exercises themselves would help most <?>

Yes, very useful.

Agreed, useful.

Consider doing front squats as well. They work your core a lot harder than overhead squats, which are limited to the amount of weight you can keep stabilized over head.

[quote]elih8er wrote:
Consider doing front squats as well. They work your core a lot harder than overhead squats, which are limited to the amount of weight you can keep stabilized over head.[/quote]

…Yeah. But pretty sure that everyone is doing those already. Part of the reason you can keep weight overhead is, in fact, your core stabilization abilities. Ever done waiter’s walks?

It’s shoulder girdle stability as well, but still.

It’s great for core work. Doesn’t interfere with your leg training too much since the weight you can handle is generally very limited, but it does a number on the core and your shoulder girdle/low trap musculature. Also is GREAT for mobility increases.

I’ve found in addition it’s much easier to stay upright while squatting deep after doing heavy OH squats for an extended period of time.

Thanks all for responses. Ill probably add them in somewhere, thanks.

I’m still part of the “squats and deadlifts are enough core work” crowd. I think for the most part, your “core” is either strong enough or too weak. If it’s strong enough, very few activities will benefit from additional strength, if you can even gain a significant degree of extra strength.

There’s tons of better options that O/H squats for core strength.

-Standing ab pulldowns done 2x a week.
-GM’s for sets of 8
-Rollouts
-Hanging leg raises, aiming to get your feet with straight legs to your hands.

When I started to push the ab pulldowns and roll outs hard, my squat SHOT up.

And we’re not talking 135lb to 185lb, I went from doing a hard 400 x5 WITH a belt, to a relatively easy 400 x5 without a belt over the course of a couple of months. Now, about 2 months later, I’m going for 400 x10 with a belt next week.

Over head squats are one of the best! ATG em too.

OHS don’t really hit my abs that hard, just my traps and hip flexors really. Heavy beltless front squats,ab pulldowns and Chinese style DB rows hit them much harder. Heavy farmers are pretty good too.

[quote]Hanley wrote:
There’s tons of better options that O/H squats for core strength.

-Standing ab pulldowns done 2x a week.
-GM’s for sets of 8
-Rollouts
-Hanging leg raises, aiming to get your feet with straight legs to your hands.

When I started to push the ab pulldowns and roll outs hard, my squat SHOT up.

And we’re not talking 135lb to 185lb, I went from doing a hard 400 x5 WITH a belt, to a relatively easy 400 x5 without a belt over the course of a couple of months. Now, about 2 months later, I’m going for 400 x10 with a belt next week.[/quote]

I hate doing ab pulldowns, and tend to skip them, or not push them as hard as I should. I dont know if Im doing goodmornings properly, I have no one there to correct my form.

I’ll try some rollouts, and maybe hanging leg raises aswell. Thanks for the input.

another goal, is to hit my traps. I haven’t found anywhere to put in trap work, since at the end of upperbody days I’m pretty much beat. If I can kill two birds, or even maim them with one stone, thatd be great.

A fun one to also try is overhead snatch-grip dynamic lunges…

[quote]Ryan P. McCarter wrote:
I’m still part of the “squats and deadlifts are enough core work” crowd. I think for the most part, your “core” is either strong enough or too weak. If it’s strong enough, very few activities will benefit from additional strength, if you can even gain a significant degree of extra strength.[/quote]

X2,

Lighten the load a little and raise the reps as well as the variation of squats, and your core will build strong enough to help with the higher loads. In general the core is the weakest link max squats and deadlifts, considering you always see peoples form go to shit when maxing out. It’s not a bad thing when testing your max, but if your always training your max then your core isn’t getting the necessary training volume it needs.

[quote]elih8er wrote:
Consider doing front squats as well. They work your core a lot harder than overhead squats, which are limited to the amount of weight you can keep stabilized over head.[/quote]

Really? I think not. Your core has to engage a lot more to stabilize the load over your head than it does on a load already close to your center of gravity. Also, front squats are a quad dominant exercise when 99 percent of lifters need to work more on their posterior chain anyway. I would recommend that you incorporate overhead squats into your training routine, just focus on form and not on weight (at least when you’re starting out). They will definitely help you improve on your back squats!! Good Luck!

[quote]Hanley wrote:
There’s tons of better options that O/H squats for core strength.

-Standing ab pulldowns done 2x a week.
-GM’s for sets of 8
-Rollouts
-Hanging leg raises, aiming to get your feet with straight legs to your hands.

When I started to push the ab pulldowns and roll outs hard, my squat SHOT up.

[/quote]

GMs are killer. i have a hard time doing ab work after busting ass on GMs.

You could do them (OHS or GM)with a slosh pipe or crazy bell style. Crazy bell squats are good too, without the potential for disaster. much better than OHSs as well.

[quote]ninearms wrote:
OHS don’t really hit my abs that hard, just my traps and hip flexors really. Heavy beltless front squats,ab pulldowns and Chinese style DB rows hit them much harder. Heavy farmers are pretty good too.[/quote]

What’s this Chinese style DB rows?