There are several weight-bearing exercises that directly impact the abdominal or core muscles, but they were meant to work other parts of the body. Back squats work your legs directly, but they also work your glutes, back, and shoulders. That is what you call a total body exercise. One exercise that surprisingly works the abdominal and core muscles is the overhead squat. The movement is exactly the same as the squat, except that you hold the bar (or dumbbell) above your head with your elbow locked. This exercise can be felt in the legs and in the core, especially the outer part of the core. Your core has to stabilize your body as you go up and down with the squat motion. It is not as easy as it looks. It is better to start with light.

Because it is more difficult than a normal squat, you cannot squat with that much weight. In fact, many strong lifters may even have a challenge doing this squat exercise with just the Olympic bar (45 pounds). Your abs have to work really hard to do this exercise and keep your body stable. Keep your heels on the floor (as with all squat exercises). Also, it is important to keep your head straight and steady. Otherwise you may fall forward (if you are looking down). Our bodies tend to follow where heads look. As with most squat exercises, inhale as you come down and exhale as you rise. For this particular overhead squat movement, you will need to tense your abdominal muscles during the movement. You may even have to hold your breath briefly when lifting heavier weights. It is definitely more difficult to do this exercise with a bar than with a dumbbell. Dumbbells allow your body (especially your core) to have more freedom to move around a bit. The bars are more restrictive. Be careful with your elbows. You may want to bend them slightly (but not too much) as you can strain them during this exercise. You will feel tension in your arms and shoulders. This is common. It is important that you build strength in your arms and shoulders so that you can do these overhead squats correctly.

This can be a bit more difficult for most people. But it’s great to have an arsenal of various full-body exercises that can help you target your abs or core. Make sure your legs and back are properly warmed up. Also, don’t be embarrassed or afraid to go light when you start doing this overhead squat exercise.