Are you experiencing difficulties getting into the rack position? Elbows keep dropping with front squats, squat cleans, or having poor transitions with the jerk? Here are some simple and effective techniques to improve the rack position. The shoulder is the most common site of mobility limitations. Below are activities to address the shoulder; the joint and surrounding muscles, as well as the elbow and wrist.

Be sure to test/re-test with rack position after each mobility exercise.

SHOULDER

Band Inferior glide:

  • Place band just off of shoulder joint, then step on band. Band pull should be perpendicular to the arm. Perform 2-3 times for 30 to 60 sec.

Band anterior glide:

  • Place band just off of shoulder joint, anchor elbow on rig. Let the band pull the shoulder forward. Perform 2-3 times for 30 to 60 sec.

Lat roll-out:

  • Place ball in the meaty part of the lats and roll. This will cause some soreness. Before a workout roll for 30-60 seconds post or during the day you can roll for 3-5 minutes.

ELBOW

Band gapping:

  • While standing or lying on the ground, place band around forearm as close to the elbow as possible and move away. Perform 2-3 times for 30 to 60 sec.

Band Lateral glide

  • While standing or lying on the ground, place band around forearm as close to the elbow as possible and turn sideways. Perform 2-3 times for 30 to 60 sec.

WRIST

Wrist gapping:

  • With wrist supported, place band at the bottom of the hand. Move away until there is a stretch. Perform 2-3 times for 30 to 60 sec.