Back squat issue / alternatives

kittiker

Hope it's okay that this is my first post - I usually just lurk!

I've recently started NROLFW and I'm enjoying it immensely but I've ran into a problem with back squats. I have ridiculously tight shoulders - I can't reach my arms back far enough to get the barbell into the correct or even a safe position (at my furthest possible extension it rests high up on my neck). I don't know if this can be remedied with stretching or if my shoulders are just wonky! My questions:

1) Do you have any recommendations for stretches that might help with this?

2)I'm using dumbbells for squats just now but when the weight becomes unmanageable, I was thinking of switching to a bodyweight progression (YAYOG) or to goblet squats - which would be better or would you recommend something else?

Many thanks

SideSteel

1) Depends on what is causing the mobility issues but you may want to look at doing shoulder dislocates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02HdChcpyBs

2) You could do goblet squats now and switch to barbell squats when your shoulder mobility improves. Alternatively if your gym has a safety bar you could do safety bar squats since the handles stick out in front of you and probably wouldn't cause issues with your shoulder.

gweneddk

how far apart are your hands on the bar? I tend to start a little further out and move them in as I loosen up. Here's what helps me:

roll pecs w/ lacrosse ball, every day, before squatting, between sets-> much of my shoulder tightness is actually tight pecs
roll lats with foam roller
squat holding trx straps with outstretched arms with a ROUNDED back, 5-6 deep diaphragmatic breaths with a focus on filling chest and expanding the back ribs
supine shoulder external rotation between sets, not forced, I just allow my forearm to drop towards the ground on each exhale and repeat 3-8 times

I have mobility issues w front squats and I found the most improvement when I decreased the # of reps per set but increased frequency, doing them 2-3 times per week.
Safety bar squat is a great alternative if you have access.

Again, this is what has worked for me; I have no idea if your mobility issues are similar to mine but I hope this helps!

kittiker

Thank you both for your help!

gweneddk

Besides goblet squats, which are great, you could also do front rack KB squats or Zercher squats. Both should allow you to use a little more weight than DBs.

bostonwolf

Also take a look at MobilityWOD.com and search for shoulder.

Plenty of good band and bar exercises that will help your shoulder mobility. One basic one if your pecs are really tight is just stand in a door, grab each side and lean forward as far as you can. Hold it for 20-30 seconds and repeat.