There are several weight-bearing exercises that directly impact the abdominal muscles or core, 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’s what you call a full body workout. An 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) above your head with your elbow locked out. This exercise can be felt in the legs and core, especially the outer core. Your core has to stabilize your body as you go up and down with the squat movement. 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 as heavy. 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 and 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 are looking down). Our bodies tend to follow where our heads are facing. As with most squat exercises, you inhale on the way down and exhale 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 core) more freedom to move around a bit. 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’s important that you build strength in your arms and shoulders so you can do these overhead squats correctly.
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 out 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.