flexibility for cleans

[ephs]

i can't hold the barbell in the clean position on my front deltoids cause of inflexibility. how to solve that problem? does anyone know some good advice or stretches?

i want to perform a front squat followed by a press. or can i just do it after a back squat? pressing in front of the neck sounds more natural to me.

[Oscar_Actuary]

join the club
for me its my shoulder, wont rotate as it needs to to get my elbows up

[ephs]

do i see a goal for us for 2013?

[Oscar_Actuary]

not for me
I've tried, not close.

[KPj]

Get used to doing this throughout the day when you fidget
http://www.exrx.net/Stretches/WristFlexors/Single.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, I don't know what to search for to find this, but imagine standing with a bench side on (it could be a table - I do this in work), in front of you. You put the palms of your hands on the bench, only, with your fingers pointing towards you. At first you'll need your body way over your wrists. Then, with rock back with some weight on the wrist, moving your body behind your wrists, or as far as you can handle. This is an amazing stretch. Rock back and forth 10-15 times. You should really loosen up by the end of the set. Do it between exercises, or whenever else you remember. Not sure if i'm clear in describing this so let me know if it makes no sense.

EDIT - found this
http://www.precisionhealth.ca/wrist-flexor-stretch.page" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was describing the bilateral version in the pic. This one is fantastic.

Lastly, whenever you are squatting or front squatting, practice just setting up in the clean grip, but without un racking. This is a stretch in itself, and it's very specific! Just walk up, fingers on the bar and roll your elbows under it, do this for reps, too. Or hold it, doesn't really matter if you can do it frequently enough.

KPj

[ephs]

i think these stretches could work. thanks! how much degrees is standard for the flexibility of the wrist? i don't even get a 90 degrees angle between hand and forearm.

[Wouter]

i think these stretches could work. thanks! how much degrees is standard for the flexibility of the wrist? i don't even get a 90 degrees angle between hand and forearm.

When you want to front squat, having only 2 fingers on the bar is enough (index and middle finger).
Any more than that requires extra flexibility, while not adding much extra support.

[Jungledoc]

And of course, the higher you get your elbows (did someone already say this?) the less flexibility you need in your wrists.

[ephs]

i think elbows are high enough, more flexibility at the wrists could work. 2 fingers at the barbell are easier, but i think it's difficult to change the grip all the time when squatting and pressing.

[Jungledoc]

Yeah, the 2 or 3 finger grip are clumsy if you are going to turn it into a squat press. You could separate the squat and then do a push press from a press position.

[Dub]

What some people don't see, is that if they are doing a clean and press, or front squat and press, or something like that, is that the grip changes a little before the press. It gets wider. The elbows go down a notch, and the wrist and forearm align better under the bar. This isn't always the case, but seen in many lifters. You can't press anything from a excellent two finger grip, that's a given. Do you have the mobility to overhead press? Try to get more like that grip, but still base the support a bit more on the shoulders and core, not just arms.

[ephs]

military press isn't a problem. i think it's very diffcult to squat when holding the barbell in the press position, cause you are bringing your body down a bit and have almost no contact with the body, you only hold the weight with your arms. this will decrease the possible reps a lot.

[Dub]

military press isn't a problem. i think it's very diffcult to squat when holding the barbell in the press position, cause you are bringing your body down a bit and have almost no contact with the body, you only hold the weight with your arms. this will decrease the possible reps a lot.

It's not used when squatting. It's changed on the rebound of the squat, when you come up, it should be explosive. You alter the grip after the squat to make the press. And just a little. One would say it's a cross between clean grip and press grip.

[ephs]

yeah, i know. but i don't have the flexibility to place the bar on my shoulders. i thought you were recommending to use the press grip for the squat then, so i got you wrong.

[Dub]

I think the wider press grip is far more easy to achieve than the narrower clean grip. You can test it yourself too. Shoulder width or a bit wider, like fingers a bit over shoulders. Have you tried that as well?