Squat Compensations and What They Mean

The overhead squat assessment is a popular movement assessment used to determine a clients movement patterns and can help determine where to focus efforts. I encourage using a couple different assessments to get a fuller picture, but it’s an excellent place to start.

The way our muscles develop has a large impact on the way our bodies move. Sometimes, there is an imbalance that we are not even aware of. A squat assessment allows us to see what areas of our body are weaker than they should be, and what areas are being overworked and may need to be stretched out.

First off the overhead squat assessment is exactly as it sounds. You get into proper squat formation with your arms overhead and you squat 5-8 times depending on the assessor. I like to give some verbal cues, because sometimes a movement pattern may not be ideal but it’s due to not knowing where their legs should be or how far they should squat down. After that we get into the nitty gritty.

Common Compensations when Squatting

If specific compensations occur we can piece together what the muscles are telling us.

I will be referring to muscles in general terms (not their specific names). Below are probable overactive and underactive muscles.

Excessive Forward Lean

Overactive muscles:

• calf muscles

• muscles from your upper thigh to hip

• muscles at the inside of the thigh

Underactive muscles:

• shin

• glutes (maximus)

• back

Knees Fall In

Overactive muscles:

• inner thighs

• hamstrings

• hips

• quads

Underactive muscles:

• glutes (medius & maximus)

• lower quads

Knees Move Out

Overactive muscles:

• quads

• hips

• glutes (medius & minimus)

Underactive muscles:

• Inner thigh

• hamstring

• glutes (maximus)

Low Back Arch

Overactive muscles:

• hips

• back

Underactive muscles:

• glutes (maximus)

• hamstring

• core

Feet Turn Out/Flatten

Overactive muscles:

• ankle

• quads

• outer thigh

Underactive muscles:

• calves

• glutes (medius)

Lower Back Rounds

Overactive muscles:

• Hamstrings

• core (obliques)

• inner thigh

Underactive muscles:

• glutes (maximus)

• back

• core stabilizers

Arms Fall Forward

Overactive muscles:

• back

• upper back

• chest

Underactive muscles:

• lower back

• shoulders

What Does This Mean?

So you have all this information, what do you do with it? Overactive muscles are muscles that are working double time because your underactive muscles arent as strong as they need to be. You want to stretch your overactive muscles and work on strengthening your underactive muscles. If your compensations came from not knowing the proper form of squat, then guess what you need to practice? Squatting.

It can be interesting to see how your body is moving and why. I encourage you to try out the OHSA just on your own and see how it goes!

I’ve found out that my knees go out (due to my bad knee and tight hips) when when I squat and my arms fall forward (due to a tight upper back and shoulders).

Strengthening Exercises

Some examples of strengthening exercises that activate the determined underactive or 'weak' muscles.

Glutes & Hamstrings

• clamshells, glute bridge, split squat, deadlift

Quads

• split squat, squat, reverse lunge

Core

• Plank toe taps, boat pose, supine marches

Calf muscles

• Calf raises, jump rope, step ups

Lower back & Back

• Back extension, good morning, bent over row, deadlift

Shoulders

• shoulder press, front raise, push press

Shin

• single leg raises, heel step downs, front lunges

Stretching Exercises

Some examples of stretches you can do for muscles that have been determined to be overactive and are most likely tight

Calf muscles

• standing calf stretch, downward dog, half split stretch

Hip flexors

• low lunge, 90/90 stretch, reclined hip stretch

Hip adductors & inner thighs/quads

• reclined cobblers pose, butterfly stretch, pancake flat stretch

Hamstrings

• standing hamstring stretch, forward fold, lying hamstring stretch

Back/Upper back

• thread the needle, child's pose, shoulder rolls

Chest

• doorway pec stretch, hands behind the back, floor or wall angels

Depending on our muscular makeup, how active we have been in the past, past injuries, even how we currently move our bodies, all have an impact on how we move our bodies. There is a reason for the way we move. I find it incredibly interesting to look at movement patterns and how they can differ not only person to person but how our own movements change over time.

There is no bad or good when it comes to compensations. It’s more about how it’s affecting our bodies, and why.