A trainer is instructing a client about performing an OHSA.

The Overhead Squat Assessment (OHSA) is a key movement screening tool in NASM’s assessment protocol. The proper starting position requires the client to stand with feet shoulder-width apart, pointing straight ahead, and arms raised directly overhead with elbows fully extended. This position places the shoulders in full flexion and challenges the client’s ability to maintain posture through the kinetic chain during the squat. The Study Guide specifies that this alignment allows observation of compensations in the ankles, knees, hips, LPHC, and shoulders. Starting with arms forward, crossed, or on the hips would not adequately test upper extremity and spinal stability in relation to lower-body mechanics, and would reduce the assessment’s diagnostic value.