INTRODUCTION TO THE OVERHEAD SQUAT ASSESSMENT
You are only as strong as your weakest link, but how do we understand what we are weak at? After years of studying and “in the trenches” research one assessment tool that can applied to all populations without anything other than a broom stick is the Overhead Squat. The Overhead Squat is one of the most valuable assessment tools for any individual regardless of their training age and goals. No other orthopedic assessment is able to reveal to you as much about a client’s flexibility, joint health, and limitations in strength.
The advantage of this assessment tool is how non-invasive the testing is. It only requires you, a broomstick and a coach with a keen eye for the evaluation. I have utilized this test with all my professional to olympic athletes, high school to collegiate athletes, the NAVY Seals to ARMY Rangers and from the stay at home moms to the business executives.
What Are We Testing For?
The premise of this assessment is to test structural imbalances by evaluating where there is a lack of flexibility. The important principle to understand is that a tight muscle is a weak muscle in relation to its working counterpart. Since this is a dynamic test you will be able to see imbalances in muscle strength and flexibility when performed. A recommendation is to video tape each assessment to further evaluate progress in a training program.
Let’s take a look at the muscle at which we can test for during the test.
Lower Body Assessment
- Lower Back
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Hip Flexors
- Groin
- Calves
- Ankles
Upper Body Assessment
- Rotator Cuff
- Scapular
- Pectorals
- Trapezius (Traps)
- Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
- Forearms
- Wrist
Looking Forward to Part II
As you can see there are a host of muscles we can evaluate for weaknesses with this tool. The assessment can provide us with enough information to get people out of pain or increased performance that they wouldn’t normally see.
In Part II of this articles series we will look at the assessment in real time and learn about what to look for when evaluating.
Steven Nickel provides a Tailor-Made Fitness Experience for the individual who wants to acquire high quality results. Providing Exclusive Personal Training, Made to Measure Coaching and Ready to Train Collections. To learn more Inquire Here or write to steven@stevennickel.com
