Flexibility suggestions for squatting?

dbmata
dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey folks, I've got decent hip flexibility for squatting, but my shoulders are extremely tight. The lowest I can get the bar is just about C7, and I have to keep a pretty wide hand grip in order to get my hands onto the bar, almost as wide as the weight stops. I can clip my fingers in the bar stays if I'm not careful when I am reracking the bar.

So any thoughts on how to open up my shoulders so I can get a lower bar position?

Replies

  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    google 'shoulder dislocations'
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    I have the same problem!


    I'm working on shoulder mobility with my TRX, will get back to you around mid June when I can next get to a gym if you hit me up then.

    The solutions I've been given were to stretch out my chest but that didn't help. The chest muscles weren't the issue.

    My fix was to actually put my hands much closer than the normal stance, and that helped me get under the bar but I'd like to be abled to have a normal position.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Getsoda - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0fTt46px_I4/TIkvX-vifsI/AAAAAAAAEk0/fTEyRPlM934/s1600/IMG_0756.JPG
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    ?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I have the same problem!
    Have you thought about sitting in the hole in a bench press for the stretching?
    I'm working on shoulder mobility with my TRX, will get back to you around mid June when I can next get to a gym if you hit me up then.
    How is TRX for that?
    My fix was to actually put my hands much closer than the normal stance, and that helped me get under the bar but I'd like to be abled to have a normal position.
    I can't get my hands that far back. I can get the bar on the right spot, just can't get my arms back far enough.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    ?

    Yeah... I did what GetSoda said and found that. Not sure.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Band pull-aparts are great and using a band for shoulder separations are good too. John Meadows has a video using a band called Spider Crawls. My flexibility isn't bad but these literally saved me from what I thought was going to be shoulder surgery, execellent, excellent, excellent exercises.

    Try Googling this:

    Band Pull-Aparts and Joe DeFranco
    Spider-Crawl and John Meadows

    That might be better, not sure.
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    Getsoda - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0fTt46px_I4/TIkvX-vifsI/AAAAAAAAEk0/fTEyRPlM934/s1600/IMG_0756.JPG

    google harder =p http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Try Googling this:

    Band Pull-Aparts and Joe DeFranco
    Spider-Crawl and John Meadows

    That might be better, not sure.
    So I did and those look great. However.

    My problem is getting my arms back enough, and I'm not sure if those would help after reviewing them. To give you an idea.

    If you put your arms out to your sides and raise your hands up to 90 degrees while keeping your upper arm parallel to the floor. (Imagine an L )

    I can't hold my arm stright up and down, I'm a few degrees off, rotated forward. I also can't push my arms further back than in plane with my ears. My shoulders are really tight.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Getsoda - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0fTt46px_I4/TIkvX-vifsI/AAAAAAAAEk0/fTEyRPlM934/s1600/IMG_0756.JPG

    google harder =p http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/

    Ah, so your post wasn't somehow raising the specter of potential shoulder dislocations as a "danger" of squatting. Context would have been helpful.

    ETA - found this video too, looks like my ROM is all messed up. I'm going to hunt up the stretches in the stronglifts, and in this video. See if I can get working on this.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un1PDhrU3h0

    I need the flexibility for both shooting and boxing, so no time like the present.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    So far TRX looks like it will fix it. Wall slides facing away from anchor point in particular.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    excellent series on shoulder mobility exercises :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ONHZmsFec


    this time last year my mobility was pretty bad and i couldnt old the bar correctly for a squat rack, much less do a correct overhead squat and forget front squats. my eventual goal was to get back to olympic lifting.

    i added the stuff in the that youtube video and my shoulders have improved by leaps and bounds. no more issues with OH squats or front squats and the joint is stable enough now that I can safely do snatches without worrying about it giving in

    good luck!
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    Take a yoga class for a little bit...you will get that deep *kitten* squat with no shoulder pain in no time bro. I have rotator cuff and hip pain. I did yoga to get my joints rollin smooth again.
  • MistressAella
    MistressAella Posts: 99 Member
    Perfect timing for this thread. I had c1/2 fusion surgery last October and before that couldn't get that damn bar in the right place to do barbell squats either. Now I can finally get my arms that far back, but they're still pretty tight....
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    Take a yoga class for a little bit...you will get that deep *kitten* squat with no shoulder pain in no time bro. I have rotator cuff and hip pain. I did yoga to get my joints rollin smooth again.

    If he has the same problem I do, yoga won't help. Or maybe none of the poses in my class did. Shoulder just doesn't want to bend that way.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Take a yoga class for a little bit...you will get that deep *kitten* squat with no shoulder pain in no time bro. I have rotator cuff and hip pain. I did yoga to get my joints rollin smooth again.

    If he has the same problem I do, yoga won't help. Or maybe none of the poses in my class did. Shoulder just doesn't want to bend that way.

    Yeah, not sure exactly what problem you have but we probably are pretty close. Now I did 6 months of yoga, loved the hell out of it and the scenery, but my shoulders really didn't get much stretch going. Now, my hips and strength went up for days. Hm, I *should* do yoga again! I should go find my mat and lululemon shorts. (Serious, I have some.)

    meshashesha, thanks for the video, I'll check it in the morning!
  • jajnn
    jajnn Posts: 33
    warm up your shoulders with arm circles and movements like lateral raises/front raises.

    I put the bar around T1 so that it lays low across my traps and rear delts, never have any problems. I use a thumbless grip as well keeping my wrists flexed forward so there are no skin creases/wrinkles visible when I grip the bar. Don't forget to raise your elbows.

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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    warm up your shoulders with arm circles and movements like lateral raises/front raises.

    I put the bar around T1 so that it lays low across my traps and rear delts, never have any problems. I use a thumbless grip as well keeping my wrists flexed forward so there are no skin creases/wrinkles visible when I grip the bar. Don't forget to raise your elbows.

    Nice form. So I got low with some squats today. Spent some time prior stretching my shoulders and my wrists. I was able to get the bar lower this time, it hurt, but didn't hurt as bad as getting some hot brass in between your eyebrow and sunglasses. If I can shoot through that, I can squat through a little shoulder hurt.

    I'm going to meet up with a trainer next week to get some form work done, but it went well. Just need to work on getting form down and the shoulders stretched out. The wall stretch really does well.

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