⚡ OverHaul Fitness
Exercise Technique Guide

Do It Right,
Get More From It

Online training means your coach can't always see your form in real time. This guide covers the key technique points for every major movement pattern — so you can self-correct, train safely, and get more out of every session.

Why technique matters — especially online

Good technique isn't about being perfect. It's about loading the right muscles, protecting your joints over the long term, and getting full value from every rep. A squat done with poor mechanics doesn't train your legs the way it should — it trains your lower back instead.

Online training removes the instant feedback of an in-person coach. This guide bridges that gap — giving you the cues and checkpoints to self-assess and correct in real time.

How to use this guide

Each section covers one movement pattern, with the key technique points and the most common errors to watch for. Watch the video first, then film yourself doing the same movement and compare.

Recording yourself — even just on your phone — is the single most effective technique tool available to an online training client. Most people are surprised by what they see.

01
Pattern One
Squat Pattern
The squat is the most fundamental lower body movement — and the one with the most variation across equipment levels. Whether you're doing a bodyweight squat, goblet squat, or split squat, the same core principles apply. Depth, knee tracking, and spinal position are the three things that matter most.
Squat Pattern — All Equipment Variations
Bodyweight • Goblet • Dumbbell • Barbell
✅Key Technique Cues
Feet shoulder-width, toes slightly out — the exact angle varies by hip structure; find what allows your knees to track over your toes without strain.
Knees track over toes — not caving inward. If your knees collapse, reduce load and focus on control before adding weight.
Chest up, not forward — a forward lean shifts load to the lower back. Brace your core and keep your torso as upright as depth allows.
Hips descend, not just bend at the knee — think "sit back and down," not just "bend knees."
Drive through the whole foot — heel, ball, and little toe all in contact with the floor throughout the movement.
✕Common Faults
✕
Knee cave (valgus collapse) — knees fall inward at the bottom. Often a hip mobility or glute activation issue, not just weakness.
✕
Heels rising — usually ankle mobility restriction. Work on ankle dorsiflexion before adding load.
✕
Butt wink (lumbar flexion at depth) — the pelvis tucks under at the bottom. Reduce depth to where your pelvis stays neutral.
02
Pattern Two
Hinge Pattern
The hip hinge is the most important movement pattern most people have never been taught. It's the foundation of the deadlift, Romanian deadlift, kettlebell swing, and good morning — and it's the pattern that, when done poorly, causes the most lower back injuries in the gym. The hinge is a hip movement, not a back movement.
Hinge Pattern — All Equipment Variations
Bodyweight • Dumbbell RDL • Kettlebell • Barbell
✅Key Technique Cues
Push the hips back, don't squat down — the hinge is a posterior hip shift. Imagine pushing your hips toward the wall behind you.
Maintain a neutral spine throughout — no rounding of the lower or upper back. A slight natural curve is correct; flexion under load is not.
Soft bend in the knees — not locked out, not squatting. The knees should stay relatively stationary as the hips drive back.
Drive the floor away on the way up — think "push the ground down" to engage the posterior chain, not "pull the weight up."
Full hip extension at the top — squeeze your glutes and stand tall. Don't hyperextend the lower back to "finish" the rep.
✕Common Faults
✕
Lower back rounding — the most common and most dangerous fault. Reduce the range of motion until you can maintain neutral spine, then build from there.
✕
Squatting the hinge — too much knee bend, not enough hip push. The hips should move back significantly more than the knees bend.
✕
Bar drifting away from the body — on deadlifts, the bar should stay in contact with or very close to your legs throughout.
03
Pattern Three
Horizontal Push
The horizontal push — bench press, dumbbell press, push-up — is one of the most commonly programmed movements and one of the most commonly done wrong. Poor setup and shoulder position account for the majority of pressing-related injuries. Getting your shoulder blades set before you start the movement is the single most important technical point.
Horizontal Push — All Equipment Variations
Push-Up • Dumbbell Press • Incline • Barbell Bench
✅Key Technique Cues
Set your shoulder blades first — before anything else, pull your shoulder blades down and back ("put them in your back pockets"). Hold this position throughout the press.
Elbows at 45-60 degrees from your torso — not flared out at 90 degrees (high shoulder impingement risk), not fully tucked (inefficient). Find the middle ground.
Controlled descent — lower the weight with control over 2-3 seconds. The eccentric is where a lot of the muscle-building stimulus comes from.
Drive the weight up and slightly back — press toward the ceiling and slightly toward your face, not straight up.
✕Common Faults
✕
Elbows flared at 90 degrees — puts the shoulder in a vulnerable impingement position. Tuck the elbows slightly.
✕
Shoulder blades protracted (rounded forward) — removes the stable base for pressing and stresses the shoulder joint. Set the scapula before you start.
✕
Bouncing off the chest — shortens the range of motion and removes tension at the bottom. Control the descent.
04
Pattern Four
Vertical Push
The overhead press is the vertical push movement that most exposes restrictions in shoulder and thoracic mobility. Many people compensate by extending the lower back as the weight goes overhead — shifting the work from the shoulders to the lumbar spine. Thoracic mobility and core bracing are the two prerequisites for safe, effective overhead pressing.
Vertical Push — All Equipment Variations
Dumbbell Press • Arnold Press • Landmine • Barbell OHP
✅Key Technique Cues
Brace your core before you press — a tight midsection prevents lower back extension as the weight goes overhead. Think "rib cage down."
Neutral spine throughout — no hyperextension of the lower back. If you're arching to get the weight up, the load is too heavy or thoracic mobility needs work.
Press in a straight line — the bar or dumbbells should travel directly overhead, not forward in front of your face.
Full lock-out at the top — arms fully extended, biceps by your ears. Don't stop short.
✕Common Faults
✕
Lower back hyperextension — the most common fault. The lower back arches excessively to compensate for restricted overhead mobility. Reduce load.
✕
Bar path drifting forward — the weight travels out in front rather than directly overhead. Cue: "press back, not just up."
✕
Shrugging at the top — the traps elevate instead of the arms fully locking out. Focus on fully extending the elbows and pressing tall through the shoulder.
05
Pattern Five
Horizontal Pull
Rows are the most important postural corrective exercise in most programmes — and the one most people do with their arms rather than their back. The horizontal pull should be driven by the scapula retracting first, not by the elbow pulling. Getting this right shifts the work from the biceps to the lats and mid-back, where it belongs.
Horizontal Pull — All Equipment Variations
Dumbbell Row • Chest-Supported • Cable Row • Barbell Row
✅Key Technique Cues
Initiate with the shoulder blade, not the elbow — think "pull the shoulder blade toward your spine" before the arm follows. This is the single most important cue for rows.
Drive the elbow back and in — toward your hip, not straight back. This engages the lat more effectively than flaring the elbow out wide.
Full stretch at the start — allow the shoulder blade to protract (reach forward) at the bottom of each rep for a full range of motion. Don't start from a retracted position.
Neutral spine — on bent-over rows especially, maintain the same neutral spine as your hinge. Don't round to gain range.
✕Common Faults
✕
Pulling with the biceps, not the back — the elbows travel too far, the shoulder blade barely moves. Use a lighter load and focus on the scapular initiation cue.
✕
Twisting the torso to get more range — rotating the body to pull the weight higher. This removes load from the target muscles and risks lower back strain.
✕
Shrugging the shoulder at the top — trap elevation taking over instead of scapular retraction. Cue: "shoulders down, away from the ears" throughout.
06
Pattern Six
Vertical Pull
The lat pulldown and pull-up are the primary vertical pulling movements — training the lats, rear delts, and biceps through a large range of motion. As with rows, most people pull with their arms and skip the scapular movement entirely. The cue "pull your elbows to your hips" is a simple way to shift the focus where it belongs.
Vertical Pull — All Equipment Variations
Band Pull-Down • Lat Pulldown • Chin-Up • Pull-Up
✅Key Technique Cues
"Pull your elbows to your hips" — this single cue activates the lats more effectively than any other. It naturally depresses the shoulder blades and drives the movement from the back.
Slight lean back — a 10-15 degree lean creates a better lat activation angle. Avoid excessive lean, which turns it into a row.
Full arm extension at the top — allow the arms to extend fully and the shoulder blades to elevate slightly at the top of each rep. Don't shortchange the stretch.
Controlled return — fight the weight on the way back up. The eccentric portion of the pull is just as important as the concentric.
✕Common Faults
✕
Pulling behind the neck — no benefit, high injury risk to the cervical spine. Always pull to the front of the chest.
✕
Excessive body sway (kipping) — using momentum to complete the rep removes load from the muscles. Slow down and use a load that allows controlled movement.
✕
Not reaching the chest — stopping the bar or body short of the chest reduces the range of motion and the training stimulus significantly.
07
Pattern Seven
Core & Carries
Core training isn't crunches. The primary function of your core is to resist unwanted movement — to brace the spine under load and transfer force between your upper and lower body. Planks, deadbugs, and loaded carries train this bracing function far more effectively than flexion-based exercises, and translate directly into safer, stronger lifting.
Video coming soon
Core & Carries — All Variations
Plank • Dead Bug • Pallof Press • Farmer's Carry
✅Key Technique Cues
Brace, don't just tighten — a proper brace is 360 degrees: front, sides, and back. Take a breath in and brace as if you're about to take a punch. Hold that tension.
Ribs down, pelvis neutral — avoid the two most common posture errors: rib flare (arched back) and posterior tilt (tucked pelvis). Find the midpoint.
For carries: tall spine, controlled breathing — walk with intention. Don't let the weight pull you sideways. Breathe through the brace without losing tension.
For deadbug: lower back on the floor throughout — if your lower back lifts off the floor as your limbs extend, you've exceeded your current core stability. Reduce range of motion.
✕Common Faults
✕
Plank with sagging hips — the lower back dips, removing the core challenge entirely. Think "body as a rigid plank from head to heel."
✕
Plank with hips too high — the opposite error. A pike position is easier than a true plank. Lower the hips until the body is in a straight line.
✕
Leaning during a suitcase carry — tilting toward the weight is the body taking the easy path. Resist it actively by staying upright throughout.

Want eyes on your technique?

1-on-1 online coaching with OverHaul Fitness includes regular form checks and programme adjustments based on how you're moving. Book a free strategy call to find out if it's the right fit.

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Move better before you lift heavier

The Move Better, Lift Better mobility guide works alongside this one — targeting the restrictions that limit your technique in each movement pattern.

View Mobility Guide
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This guide is provided by OverHaul Fitness for general educational purposes. Stop any exercise that causes sharp or joint pain and consult a qualified professional. Return to OverHaul Resources.