Legs · Bodyweight
Bodyweight Squat Overhead Press
How to do the bodyweight squat overhead press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and hands at your shoulders. Squat down until your thighs are about parallel, then drive up through your legs and press your arms straight overhead at the top. Lower the arms as you descend into the next squat and repeat.
- 1Quads and glutes driving out of the squat
- 2Shoulders pressing the arms overhead at the top
- 3Core braced to link the legs and the press
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees cave in on the way up
- Pressing the arms before standing fully tall
- Rounding the lower back in the bottom of the squat
Muscles worked
The bodyweight squat overhead press mainly works the quads, glutes, and front delts, with the triceps, side delts, lower back, upper abs, lower abs, hamstrings, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the bodyweight squat overhead press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.