Overhead squats have their benefits but they are not for everyone. Discover some alternatives to this exercise with similar effects.
Squats are an exercise where you lower your hips by bending your knees. In the overhead variation, you hold some type of weight (barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.) above you while doing the exercise.
By doing this you work your shoulders, core, triceps, erector spinae, and legs to a larger extent. Additionally, overhead squats can help you train your balance and coordination.
Whether you don’t enjoy overhead squats, they feel uncomfortable, or you want an alternative for any other reason, these overhead squat substitutes can offer you some or all of the same benefits.
1. Other weighted squat variations
Overhead squats can be a helpful weighted squat variation but there are many other types of squats too. As an example, take the following steps to do a back squat:
- Find a squat rack and place the barbell at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety bars adjust them to the right height.
- Stand under the barbell, push your shoulders up so that the barbell rests on your higher back, and hold it there with your hands.
- Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
- Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. You will likely have to bend forward for balance but keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.
- Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs.
- Rerack the barbell after your desired number of repetitions.
One of the main reasons to do overhead squats is to work leg muscles like your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Other squat variations like the back squat can also help you with this and in some cases more effectively.
For example, a back squat can typically be done with more weight than an overhead squat since you don’t have to balance the weight above you with your shoulder muscles which are generally weaker.
This is generally helpful for getting the most muscle growth and strength progress in the shortest amount of time.
At the same time, the reduction in balance and coordination requirements in these overhead squat alternatives can also be a downside if you want to train these things. Overhead squats also typically work your core a bit more.
2. Standing shoulder presses
For this next overhead squat alternative, you likely need some form of shoulder exercise equipment like kettlebells, a cable machine, a barbell, a smith machine, resistance bands, etc.
Take the following steps to do a shoulder press with dumbbells:
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at about shoulder height with your hand palms facing forward. Your elbows can point slightly more forward than just a horizontal line with your shoulders.
- Slowly move the dumbbells up until your arms are slightly less than stretched.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Standing shoulder presses work similar shoulder and arm muscles as overhead squats but in a more active and effective way. Additionally, your core has to work a good amount during the standing versions.
If you want to focus more on these aspects of overhead squats, shoulder presses can be a great alternative. If not, some of the other options in this list will often be a better choice.
3. Overhead lunges
The next exercise implements the same method to hold the resistance but in a different exercise. This can be helpful in certain areas.
Take the following steps to do walking overhead lunges with dumbbells:
- Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width. Hold two dumbbells in your hands with your arms slightly less than stretched above your head and keep them there throughout the exercise.
- Take a big step forward so that you get into a position where both of your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Your front foot should be flat on the ground and your back foot should only touch the ground with the ball (front part) of the foot.
- Move your back foot and leg forward and get into the previous position. Make sure you use your front leg muscles to move upward and not the momentum of your back foot.
- Repeat the same movement with your other leg forward.
One of the potential downsides of overhead squats is that the weight you are able to hold may not be challenging enough to grow and strengthen your leg muscles.
In overhead lunges, you put all of the weight on one leg at a time. That makes this alternative a lot harder on leg muscles like quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
Additionally, lunges are typically more challenging when it comes to balance and coordination. This can be both a benefit or disadvantage depending on your training goals and personal skill level.
4. Deadlifts
For deadlifts, you typically use a weighted barbell but other weights can work too up to a certain weight. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a deadlift with a barbell:
- Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of a weighted barbell.
- Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the barbell on the ground.
- Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion until your upper body and legs are stretched in one straight line. When doing a deadlift it is very important to keep your back in a straight line during the exercise.
- Slowly move back into the position of step 2 by first tilting your upper body forward (with a straight back) and then folding your knees.
If you are new to deadlifts you want to work on your technique before lifting the heaviest weights.
Deadlifts are not an overhead squat substitute in the sense that they focus on the exact same things. There are commonalities but also important differences.
Some of the main ones include that deadlifts focus more on glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and erector spinae, but less on shoulder muscles, balance, and coordination.
At the same time, both exercises can be helpful for training quadricep and core muscles and all the health benefits that come with that.
5. Snatches
Overhead squats can be a great exercise to train leg and core muscles, improve balance, and improve coordination but you may be looking to make this exercise even more challenging.
If that is the case, snatches could be a great choice. Take the following steps to do this exercise:
- Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of a weighted barbell.
- Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the barbell on the ground with your hand palms facing backward and your hands wide apart.
- Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion in an explosive way so you can raise the barbell enough for the following steps. It is very important to keep your back in a straight line during this step.
- Most of the upward force of the barbell will come from your legs but you can pull it upward slightly higher.
- Move under the barbell in a squat position with slightly less than stretched arms. You will have to change the angle of your wrists in relation to the barbell.
- Absorb the impact of the barbell by folding your knees a bit more. Your hand palms will point upward/forward and you should be in a squat position. Keep your back straight throughout the rest of the exercise.
- Slowly raise your hips by extending your legs while keeping your arms slightly less than stretched.
Snatches are a challenging alternative to overhead squats. This exercise will work your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, erector spinae, core, balance, and coordination to an even larger extent.
Another difference is that snatches work your muscles in a more explosive way instead of a strength/endurance way like in overhead squats.
As you can expect, you likely don’t want to do snatches with the heaviest weights possible right from the start. Before you do that, you will likely need to train in this relatively technical exercise.
