Dumbbell Overhead Squat
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
This is a technical lift, best learned under a coach’s eye before loading heavy.
HOW TO PERFORM
- Press two dumbbells to lockout overhead, arms by the ears and palms facing forward.
- Set the feet shoulder width with the toes turned out slightly and brace the trunk.
- Squat down as deep as you can while keeping the dumbbells directly over the middle of the feet and the elbows locked.
- Drive back up to standing, keeping the arms vertical the whole way.
FORM TIPS
- Each dumbbell moves on its own, so keep them level. If one drifts forward or out, end the set there.
- Squat only as low as you can keep both arms vertical.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Quads
Secondary
- Glutes
- Abs
- Traps
- Lower Back
- Adductors
- Shoulders
- Obliques
- Hamstrings
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.