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

Because it’s harder than a regular squat, you can’t squat with as much weight. In fact, many strong lifters may even have a challenge doing this overhead squat exercise with just the Olympic bar (45lbs). Your abs have to work hard to do this exercise to keep your body stable. Keep your heels on the ground (as in all squat exercises). Also, it is important to keep your head straight and steady. Otherwise, you may fall forward (if you’re looking down). Our bodies tend to follow where the heads are looking. As with most squat exercises, you breathe in on the way down and out on the way up. For this particular overhead squat movement, you’ll need to contract your abdominal muscles during the movement. You may even have to hold your breath briefly when going with heavier weights. It’s definitely harder to do this exercise with a barbell than it is with a dumbbell. Dumbbells allow your body (especially your torso) 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 may strain them during this exercise. You will feel tension in your arms and shoulders. This is common. It’s important that you build strength in your arms and shoulders so that you can properly perform these overhead squats.

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