I’m starting a new series today – these are my favourite go to exercises that deliver the most benefit for the least effort.

The first one I’ll teach is the overhead squat. It works the entire body by helping you get more mobility in the upper back and hips and it promotes ankle flexibility and range of motion too.

The key teaching points are

• Feet shoulder width
• Keep your chest open, shoulders down
• Sit down as far as is comfortable. Aim for 90 degrees – thighs parallel to the floor, or lower if your knees and hips allow.
• Nice, straight back with a bit of an arch at all times.
• As you lower down keep knees in line with feet and hips – do not allow knees to close, push them away from each other.
• Arms need to be straight up by your ears or as close as you can get.

You can do these with a light weight, no need to buy dumbbells, a heavy book or a handbag will do, just hold it safely 🙂 Even without weight this exercise is still very effective! Here’s a video demo: