Squat, Deadlift, Overhead Press: Universal Builders

Squat, Deadlift and Overhead Press are the 3 most important movements, regardless of your goals. Being able to perform these movements properly is not only an indicator of total body strength, but it showcases how well you can move. Mobility of the ankles, hips, and back, and being strong within your range of motion are very important for the quality of life, especially in the later stages of life. These movements all produce stress within the vertebrae of the back and in the hips, which will increase bone density and decrease the likelihood of fractures or breaks. This increase in bone density has long-lasting effects and will carry on even during periods of little or no exercise. Another positive impact these movements have on the body is the strengthening of the posture muscles in the back and core. As back and core muscles strengthen, one’s posture starts to improve, which will reduce the risk of injury and potentially improve back pain. The same goes for the muscles of the hips. As these muscles strengthen, the alignment of the hips improves, which can potentially alleviate pain not only in the hips but also in the lower back.

Squats are not bad for you, especially without resistance, but improper squatting quickly becomes dangerous. To properly squat, there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration. The first is a pain-free range of motion. This is the range of motion (ROM) that you can do properly, and pain-free. To find this ROM, start by standing straight up with your feet slightly turned out and just outside shoulder width. Now begin to squat straight down, keeping your hips back, chest up, and spine in a neutral position. Once either your upper body starts round, your knees start pressing inside the ankles, or your heels begin to come off the ground, the end ROM has been reached, and that is your starting ROM. A good mental note is to never let your knees get inside of your feet. The knees should stay above or outside of the ankle during both phases of the lift. It should be noted that the squat is by far the most varied motion from person to person. Factors including hip shape, amount of ankle dorsiflexion, and hip flexibility will play crucial roles in how each individual will perform their squat. Generally speaking though, the goal is to keep the upper body as upright as possible, while allowing the hips to travel down to knee level. Once the hips drop below the knees it is considered a “deep squat” and requires advanced skill and ability to perform correctly. It is also good to think about pushing your feet out as opposed to down during the upward portion of the movement. Since the feet are positioned outside the hip, this outward motion more closely reflects the motion of the leg as opposed to the movement of the resistance. This will help your knees stay square with your ankles, and focus the movement on the hips. Back squats (barbell placed across shoulder blades or trapezius) should be avoided until a full ROM is possible. There are many squat variations that are preferred when learning the motion and gaining mobility. These include but are not limited to bodyweight squats, goblet squats, dumbell squats, and split squats.

The deadlift is the second most misunderstood movement when it comes to injury risk. What most people mistake for a back exercise, is actually a total body exercise. It is the glutes and hamstring group that should be doing most of the work. The lower back should be kept in a neutral or slightly flexed position at the bottom of the motion, and a neutral position at the top to provide isometric (no movement) stabilization with the help of a fully engaged core. To find your starting point, hold a barbell in front of you with an overhand grip, with feet straight and even with or slightly outside of hip width. Then slowly let the bar slide down your thighs to your knees. At this point, your hips will be behind you, your legs will be slightly bent, and your head will be straight, eyes now pointing towards the floor in front of you. If your lower back is still in a neutral (S-shape) position, continue to lower the bar by pivoting at the hips. If you have proper mobility, you should be able to get the bar within a few inches of the floor before your back starts to round in the lumbar region. If you can’t get the full range, perform this next to a large mirror, so you can see where your start position should be, and begin the motion elevated from the ground. This will be a shorter ROM, but the goal is to slowly increase your mobility with lower resistance and exercise variation, then begin adding more resistance as the motion becomes more fluid. Regardless of your starting point, your end ROM should be when your shoulders and over top of your hips. At no point should you hyper-extend your back to get your shoulders behind your hips. Remember, this is a hip exercise, not a back exercise.

Lastly, is the overhead press. This movement is widely overlooked, and instead bench press gets all the attention. The reality is that the bench press is an amazing indicator of upper body strength, but it stops there. It doesn’t load the spine to help increase bone density in the vertebrae; it doesn’t require you to stabilize your upper body, so core and erector strength is minimally tested, and in functional terms, it doesn’t provide the kind of useful strength someone would need on a daily basis, so the impact on the overall quality of life is also minimal. The overhead press loads the spine, engages the core, and provides a total body test of strength that is much more applicable to daily life. To start, stand straight up with your feet at shoulder width and the bar resting at the top of your chest. Position with an overhand grip, just outside shoulder width. At the start position your hands will be rolled back so that the palms are facing the ceiling. If you do not have the shoulder or wrist mobility to get into this position, swap the barbell for dumbbells so that you can allow your hands to turn in slightly. The bar should be kept above the shoulders at all times, so during the upward phase, you have to tilt your head back, otherwise, you will catch the bottom of your chin with the bar. If the weight travels outside of your body line, the risk of injuring the shoulders increases. At the top of the motion, your head should be facing forward. The spine should be neutral through the motion, if at any point you have to hyper-extend your back, the weight is too heavy. All of the motion is from shoulder to wrist, and a slight tilt of the head to move the weight past the chin; everything else should stay locked in. An advanced version of the overhead press is the push press. This incorporates the stretch-shortening cycle of the ankles, knees, and hips (triple extension) to allow for a more powerful movement. This should be reserved for advanced lifters.

Whether just learning how to perform these movements, or looking to increase your performance in the gym or on the field, they should become the foundation of your workouts. They should be performed on separate days unless you are already currently at an advanced lifting level with a specific strength or power goal. Squats are the number one total body strength builder in existence. Nothing else mimics the kind of physical and metabolic stress produced by the squat. And because of that stress, the long-term improvements within the structure of the body are significant. It is important to remember that squat variation is crucial when first learning or getting past plateaus. The deadlift is a total body exercise that requires significant stabilization of the back, core, and hips. Keeping a neutral (S-shaped) spine through the movements will lower the risk of injury by engaging the proper driving muscles. Lastly, the overhead press is the unsung hero. It loads the spine and hips vertically to help increase bone density, enhances shoulder mobility which reduces the risk of injury, and helps build total body strength, unlike the bench press which is purely upper body. If the time is taken to properly learn these exercises and incorporate them into your routine, they will help you get stronger, feel better, and improve your quality of life now and years in the future.