Overhead Squat.

The overhead squat hides nothing. Just to perform it you need ankle, hip, thoracic, and shoulder mobility cooperating, plus the core stability to hold a bar locked overhead while you sit into a deep squat. Let any one of those slip and the lift unravels, which is why coaches use it as a diagnostic. Watch someone overhead squat and their restrictions announce themselves. A bad rep is information, not a verdict, so read it and go work on what it shows.

Think of it as a mobility and skill lift first and a strength lift a distant second. The loads will always trail your back squat or front squat, because what caps you is holding position overhead, well before leg strength ever enters it. That is by design. Chase weight before the position is solid and you just dump the bar forward and put your shoulders at risk. Earn the depth and stability with a dowel or an empty bar before plates enter the picture.

Bar back, shoulders working. The lift most often breaks when the bar drifts forward on the way down, tipping you onto your toes and out of position. Pull the bar back over the base of your neck and press up into it with active shoulder blades so it stays stacked over your midfoot from the top of the rep to the bottom.

Keep it light, 3 to 6 reps, and chase a clean position over a bigger number. It is invaluable for anyone training the snatch, since the catch is itself an overhead squat, and a humbling mobility and core builder for everyone else. Whatever your goal here, the position is the lift and the weight is an afterthought.