The overhead squat exercise is a practice move in almost all training classes and exercise routines. But it’s not always clear what the benefits of an air squat are beyond how it works your glutes, especially since it’s so simple and requires no equipment. While a squat is obviously a great lower body exercisethere is much more than meets the eye.
For a quick definition, the air squat is a body weight exercise who uses a neutral, parallel standing stance at hip distance or shoulder distance, says Sarah SteelePilates instructor, NASM-certified personal trainer, and founder of SteeleSculpt. “You can think of it as the building block for all the other squat exercises”, he tells Bustle, as the sumo squat, split squator weighted squats. That’s why it’s recommended to nail the air squat first if you plan on doing more complicated movements.
An overhead squat works effectively glutes, hamstrings and quadsmaking them the essential lower-body exercise, says Steele. “Your core and calves also help you maintain balance and proper alignment,” she adds. And because a squat is functional – meaning that it mimics the movements you make in everyday life – ends up being a win-win.
The functionality aspect is why fry mallorya master trainer for Terraced house, recommends working your squat muscles regularly, especially as you age. Add the overhead squat exercise to your routine and you’ll find it becomes much easier to get up from a chair, bend over to pick things up, etc. It is also an ideal way to get cardiovascular exercise. Because leg muscles are so large, Fry says they require more oxygen and blood to use, and therefore increase your heart rate as you go down and up.
Read below to learn more about the all-important squat, including how to do it.
How to do the air squat exercise
Here, Steele explains how to air squat using good technique.
– Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead.
– Stretch your arms out in front of you or keep your hands on your chest.
– Bend your knees and rotate your hips back.
– Keep your lower back neutral.
– Go down as if you were sitting on a chair.
– At the bottom of the squat, you should feel a natural balance point where the weight of your shoulders moving forward counteracts the weight of your hips moving back.
– Keep your weight evenly distributed through the center of both feet.
– Be careful not to roll back toward your heels or too far forward on your toes.
– To stand up, extend your knees and drive your hips back under you.
– For beginners, aim for 3 sets of 10.
– For advanced squatters, do 1 or 2 sets of 15 as part of a warm-up routine.
How to Modify an Air Squat
To practice your form, stand in front of a chair or sofa with the seat behind you, Fry says. Sit down and just before your butt hits the cushion, stand up again. You can also hold on to something for support, like a ballet barre or a wall, so your upper body can help you if you lose your balance or start to feel fatigued, Steele says.
“If you want to make overhead squats more challenging, play around with your arm placement, rep rate, and range of motion,” adds Steele. For example, you can try squatting with your arms extended above your head or with your hands behind your head. You can also slowly lower yourself into a squat for a count of three, then stand up on a quick count, Steele says. Or she could add pulses to the bottom of her squat to increase the intensity.
While you can keep your hips higher if you need to, Fry says it’s okay to drop them lower until they’re lower than your knees before rising back up to standing as a way to play with intensity. you can also always add weights or a resistance band to increase the challenge even more. Fry suggests holding dumbbells, kettlebells or a weight plate, or placing a resistance band across your knees so your muscles tire faster during each squat.
Air Squat Mistakes to Avoid
One of the most common mistakes Steele sees is losing vertical tracking of the hip, knee, and ankle when doing an overhead squat. “If you look at yourself in the mirror, your hips, knees, and ankles should stay stacked for the entire rep of the squat,” he says. “If you’re having trouble staying aligned, check that your stance is really shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing forward.”
It’s also very common to squat without engaging the core. “At the deepest point of the squat, your torso shouldn’t be resting on your thighs,” says Steele. “Instead, maintain some core engagement throughout to protect your lower back. The more you hold your abs in front of you, the less likely you are to overextend them.”
Referenced studies:
Marchetti, P. (2016). Muscle activation differs between three different knee joint angle positions during a maximal isometric back squat exercise. J Sports med. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4967668/
Mazzetti, S. 2007. Effect of explosive versus slow contractions and exercise intensity on energy expenditure. Sports exercise Med Sci. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318058a603.
Sources:
Sarah SteelePilates instructor, NASM certified personal trainer, founder of SteeleSculpt
fry mallorymaster trainer of Terraced house
