Improve Your Front Rack Mobility |

In episode 45, Dr. Aaron Horschig shows you how to screen and fix one of the most common reasons for a poor front rack (for a front squat or a clean).
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Dr. Aaron Horschig is the founder of SquatUniversity.com. A physical therapist, coach, speaker, and author of 'The Squat Bible', Dr. Horschig works with such athletes as international soccer players, MLB and NFL athletes, national-level Olympic weightlifters, and youth athletes.
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[@emagreser8162]

I had no words to say thank you. I pass the last 3 months thinking that I had a wrist problem. I make the stretch for 30 min and I make a perfect front squad whit full grip 😜💪

[@tommyprogress]

Always thought it was my wrists now i realize its external rotation

[@SuperGeekTime]

Production quality is get better and better. As always the content is incredible too.

[@SquatUniversity]

Leland Dutcher thank you!!!

[@thomaswipf7986]

Thank you! Doing front squats is my new goal. I have a c5-6 spinal fusion. My t-rex arms aren't the issue, it's my lat mobility. You're the man!

[@TFreshour08]

I wish I could put into words the amount of frustration I have watching this as it took me so many months to figure this issue out on my own and all I had to do was wait a little while, and watch your dang video. It is kind of satisfying honestly as these were the three things that I did to improve this! One fun variation was instead of using the mat, I was do an underhand grip on a cable with a straight bar like a tricep push down bar and do the exact same thing and use the eccentric portion similar to the curl up.

[@The68Fox]

Fresh M3 I’ve literally avoided any kind of cleans because of this issue

[@Acumenathletics]

Great video Dr. Aaron. This video came in perfect timing as I’m doing Front Squats in my next cycle (in 2 weeks) and my shoulder ext rotation is limited. Love the addition of eccentrics. Been reading up on the benefits of them. Thanks for sharing.

[@SquatUniversity]

Acumen Athletics thank you!!

[@JiaSwan-sb4vx]

This is the best content from all the vids that i have searched for front rack mobility !!

[@jessicasager72]

Started following his protocol last Fall and accomplished proper upper body form in front squat. Still working on drop through tho.

[@lariosV]

Very very good , you are amazing , i am watching everything you are posting on Instagram and you really helped me alot , i can say this set up here in KZbin is better. Thanks you allot !!!

[@SquatUniversity]

Βαγγέλης Λάριος you’re so welcome! Thank YOU so much for checking out all the content - that means a lot to me!

[@blaubeerprinz5291]

really really helped me and solved my issues - also with my limited left shoulder mobility. thanks

[@Mark-jf2ls]

As always, superb advise and just what I need. Great to see how it works in practice 👍😎

[@ahmarcamacho8404]

Was having trouble with this, perfect timing

[@SquatUniversity]

Ahmar Camacho glad to help!

[@blinehop927]

Thanks so much. These help a ton with my clients.

[@G9bows]

You are excellent at what you do... Salute

[@edisongabutero9455]

Always front racked crossed arm. Did the stretches here 1 time. ONE TIME! It fucking god damn worked!!! So happy 😁😁😁

[@JD0702]

New camera?! Nice. Loving the format too. As always great content.

[@SquatUniversity]

JD0702 I’m working with a videographer Evan Pierson. I really wanted to start taking my KZbin content to the next level. Glad you’re liking the videos!

[@muhammetbelkeseli6702]

thank you.

[@lakshmipowerlifts]

I will start this drills , let's see ...

[@scottviscomi921]

Thank you so much

[@MilkySandwich]

Latissimus dorsi doesn't do neither external rotation nor flexion. It does extension and internal rotation of the shoulder.

[@ema3145]

awesome! now I know why my wrists hurt whenever I try a weighted chinup, thank you doctor 💪🏽

[@SquatUniversity]

emanuel vaz you’re welcome!

[@eivindvoldheim]

Great video. I’m learning very much from your content and it inspires me to train/do mobility correctly! Keep it up!

[@SquatUniversity]

Eivind Voldheim thank you!!!

[@tonyptone3000]

Thanks Doc Squat!!!! Appreciate it!

[@SquatUniversity]

Lazlo Peabody you’re so welcome!!

[@theyorkshirescubadiver2261]

Excellent video, thanks for posting really needed this dude.

[@christopherseat9871]

Thankyou my clean is much better...

[@Kichidakatsumi]

Are these drills temporary? Like every time I am gonna do a front squat I will have to do it? Or does the body's flexibility just improves overtime and the body maintains it without having to it every time?

[@SquatUniversity]

Faisal Abudawood it depends on the person. Sometimes they may offer temporary results but if proper stability is performed after and good technique with lifting (sufficient movement) overtime the issue may go away

[@Corksy]

What I noticed is that if I do this kind of drills regularly, the problems disappear much faster than if I do them rarely. As in, I had shoulder surgery. After that, even the smallest weights triggered problems and needed a lot of various drills to fix them. As time went by and my body relearned to use all the muscles properly, I found that problems appear less often and they disappear much faster, usually just by a targeted stretch or exercise.

[@mushie1221]

Thanks for your awesome content. And I agree with commenter below (leland dutcher) that your production quality is vastly improving. So cool to see the work that you put in to your presentation skills. Big inspiration. Much love!

[@MsTwte]

man my hands are like 40 cm from the wall jesus christ :joy:

[@intellectualninjamonkey2496]

You really know your craft. Subscribed.

[@yanglinluo]

Thank you Dr!

[@tonikurkinen9396]

Really thankfull for this!

[@patrickedwards5804]

is that Mike McGoldrick I see in the opening shots?

[@antifrail7264]

I truly appreciate your expertise!

[@nox9223]

I've been hammering away at shoulder dislocates and front rack heavy static holds. It's been improving slowly but surely over the last two weeks. I'm gonna incorporate this for sure. Cheers

[@SquatUniversity]

Quelqun IciDansLaPlace hope these tips can help!

[@Aaron-on5ik]

Could poor thoracic mobility/strength be the cause of this as well? if so, how would you address it?

[@SurvivorPSN]

I believe there's another video on youtube that addresses this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ7YfZyVrZqjg7s

[@chinocoffee9565]

5:01 Get your hands into"I I" position and arch your mid back more(not lower back) will focus more on the thoracic mobility. You will feel the lats when you just start.

[@sajithjohnson]

Fantastic presentation 🙂

[@Kinglear10]

My lats are fine, but my chest prevents me from going into External Rotation of the shoulder. Any tips? Thanks for the great content!

[@SquatUniversity]

Kinglear check out the blog post I have linked in the description of the video, there’s a few tips in there for pecs

[@AndrewCheuk0819]

Will defo give it a try next week!

[@devynwiesner6211]

I’m so damn determined to get out of the cross arm technique

[@halilbuz]

Very good and informative video thank you.

[@mushie1221]

Would you consider doing a FS video for folks with short(er) femurs and long(er) trunks? As a tall-spine person with short thighs, and the lat immobility discussed above, FS just kills me. :(

[@linia9723]

Thank you so much really informative 😊

[@denyssergeev6064]

Thanks a lot! 🏋🏻

[@SquatUniversity]

You're welcome!

[@yoyoyoyoyo6714]

did i miss the part where there is a shoulder mobility rotation exercise or there is none ?

[@BrooklynMoor]

Front Rack is Y i hardly frontal Squat these days! I have hip issue and front squat is better than bak squat because i stay vertical which is less pressure on the Hip. Thanx I know have Pre Front squat routine.

[@ronlobb1797]

I’m late to the party , my front rack is horrendous, I tried these drills with success , my hands hit the wall on both grips , but my elbows are straight downward in the front rack and the bar doesn’t touch my upper chest/neck . I do have your book , I can look it up if need be ?

[@ribeironeto_]

Awesome, good job

[@buncey2536]

It's nothing to do with the lats, it's the elbows. It just takes time for the body to adjust to the position. Often it takes 2 three sessions to see a measurable difference.

[@weshallneversurrender]

Amazing, I love how simple this, the test and restest method is top notch. I am going to try this out! Always thought that this was a wrist mobility issue, who would've thought it was actually my lats! 😅

[@Michael-qj5sx]

Hey, thank you for your videos, I tried all that that you have shared, but still I have difficulty with my front rack mobility even though I can do the sitting wall test, both over grip or under grip, wide grip or even ear width grip arms touching the wall flat easily, but still I can’t rest the bar on the chest with elbows high 🤷🏼‍♂️ not even close

[@fabianreyes237]

tremendo profe!! saludos

[@lala45531]

Got about the same mobility as you without stretching and i still cannot front rack for the life of me, just can't get my elbows up. I must be designed wrong.

[@versatillion15]

Work your wrist flexibility

[@heemie16]

Would having Pectus excavatum also contribute to having limited mobility in getting my elbows up for a front squat?

[@IvanCapitani]

Subscribed

[@SquatUniversity]

Ivan Capitani thank you!!!

[@theposhgrad]

I get a pinching pain in one shoulder when I do the stretch shown @5:00. Any tips on how to avoid/resolve?

[@SquatUniversity]

Great question - try widening your elbows out. Thats usually a good start.

[@DWittie]

If eccentric movements can help with long term flexibility, does anyone know, if concentrics restricts flexibility? I have been lifting for a very consistent 7ish years and I focus a lot of slow eccentric decently fast concentric. But I’m s till very inflexible. Any answers?

[@TraucerCinek]

What if on that PVC pipe stretch my elbows hurt?

[@ddunn987]

When I do the reverse grip on the PVC pipe and raise it I only feel elbow pain

[@helenbernabe9133]

I have a question, so when I do front squats or jerks, I noticed that my right elbow goes higher than my left elbow, how can I fix that? Any advise.

[@umairyaqoob2307]

I tried that method but still my front squat is 40 kg while my back squat is 80 kg, I don't understand why why.

[@jenniferhenderson5421]

I don't have the problems you explained.

[@grahampeterson3293]

Would recommend doing this just prior to front squats only or at various times throughout the day/week to increase mobility?

[@abydleon]

Should I continue doing the lat stretch with a box when I have pain? I had a calcific tendinitis and my range of motion is still very limited. I can do a front squat but not a back squat. I can hold the bar from the back. Left arm still not able to get in a straight up position over head.

[@skipwyatt2293]

How long should we do this before I start front squatting

[@jeremywilson5351]

Do you mark the pvc pipe in the same spots as where the olympic marks are on the bar?

[@SquatUniversity]

Jeremy Wilson you can if you like but it’s not 100% necessarily

[@DaBears08]

Is your position in the begininning with your elbows bowing outwards ok? I can get my elbows up but I feel like my elbows are bowed out and it doesn't look as high and tight as videos of others doing the lift. Thank you for your video.

[@drew78ism]

I have an issue with my right shoulder dipping and I lose grip into two fingers. on either receiving a clean and when doing front squats. What should I be looking at to prevent this??

[@coreyworthingtonii9230]

I had a wrist scaphoid-capitate fusion done due to injury and have limited wrist mobility following the surgery 5 years ago. I would like to do some oly lifting in addition to my current power lifting. Is it possible to improve my mobility and be able to take the stress off my wrist?

[@brrkbtl]

I cant find a, solution to a problem. I cant hold the bar evenly on front rack. My left hand always want to move a bit more to the center however ı try. When I try to keep it in the right position it does not feel comfortable , therefore I miss jerks #asksquatu

[@ruiz3757]

How long does it take to stretch my calves from poor ankle mobility. I just started stretching for about 2 weeks and i have improvement. But it seems that i still have some stretching to go to be able to do front squats. How long do u think it might take? I stretch every day for 10 minutes. Oh and im 57yo man. Thanks

[@brotherjumbi7949]

I've been struggling with this issue for a while, but I don't seem to have flexibility or mobility issues related to it. When I pull my elbows high (without a bar) my wrists are at the level of my cheeks. I don't know what to do about this. I am tall (6'5) with gorilla arms, but I don't think my arms are so long that I can't get into proper position. The only thing that comes to mind is that my biceps are too large, but I don't have particularly impressive arms so I'm not sure about that either. Anyone have any ideas or resources they'd be willing to point me towards?

[@Alexmoore612]

#squatu Love your videos they help me big time. I did the test with the back against the wall and was able to bring my hands to the wall both with palms up and down. I still can’t get into good front rack position. What else should I try? I find I can lift my elbows up it just puts my hands too far back over my shoulders; so with a bar that doesn’t work. Thanks!

[@Sublimemelancholy]

Same for me.. it could be wrist mobility issue as well

[@guatebabe321]

What do I do in the case that im too heavy to do the eccentric lengthening with curl ups i cant do curl ups

[@scottbeale3241]

When I do the wall test I can get very near the wall in both positions, yet in the front squat position I can't get my forearms much past vertical!! Let alone approach horizontal. Does this mean it's not my lats that are limiting mobility?

[@CriminalAtom]

Same problem here

[@SportifyTVofficial]

maybe you have thorasic spine restriction

[@jackredding4992]

Damn good content! So so so good, would be interested if you ever made a subscription based site 👍🏻

[@SquatUniversity]

Jack Redding thank you! And maybe one day - for now I just want to make sure I’m giving away my best information for free

[@blockergamc]

I have long arms. Is there something different I should as far as hand placement etc

[@SquatUniversity]

Big Block you may need to be a little wider with your grip

[@vtecaccord96]

Awesome stuff!! Needed this!! Trying to front squat more and could only get 2 fingers under the bar. Will try this out.

[@pjm_219]

Learning so much!

[@akashgoyal9585]

Thanks you sir

[@SquatUniversity]

Akash Goyal you’re welcome!

[@akashgoyal9585]

@@SquatUniversity my pleasure sir

[@nubin0807]

Appreciate this, going to give it a try, I can't even get a finger whilst the bar rest on my chest. It's effecting a lot of oly lifts for me

[@Lwhosane]

I feel the tightness starting in my front delt and all the way down to my elbow. I also have wide shoulders and a short torso. I’m just built like a box.

[@ulfhethnar3687]

Instead of that eccentric pull up part. Could I do that on lat pull down machine? Pull the weight all the way to my chest and than slowly realising? Thanks

[@MrKZee]

Hate this video! Because you didn't acknowledge that for some people it may be impossible because of their body proportions. So for new people who aren't confident in themselves, you may have triggered a bad feeling.

[@n-i-c5800]

Since I do front-squats with lifting-straps my mobility has improved very much.

[@SquatUniversity]

NOVEMBERINDIACHARLIEOSCAR I’m glad to hear you found something that could be helpful!

[@KGRAO2047]

Zen says I have invented Thunderbolt squats challenge for video email me

[@CattaAttoAI]

Mate I just love your channel and you are so real. All the info is for everyone to understand and so easy to work on your technique. Thanks

[@mtstans]

Thank you for this

[@oraclegps]

PULLUPS SHOULD DO THE SAME EFFECT , AND ALSO TRICEPS EXCERCISES.

[@HalsallGYN]

Blessings!!!! Idk why I didn’t come here first. Never disappoints

[@zandermarkavo3543]

Hi do you think you could cover frozen shoulder recovery after full dislocation?

[@achilles3789]

I will pull up with my supinated grip, and my right shoulder joint will be painful. but pronateda and neutral grip is ok. How can I modify the pull up ecc stretch ?

[@andrewsapp2582]

I noticed when trying the first test with pvc palms down that my tightness was in the delt and palms up my tightness was in the traps. Is this a trick played by the lats or should I work on shoulder mobility? If you have content on this, please send me a link. Thanks!

[@matteomannini1205]

I can do the test exercise but I can’t understand why I can’t put the barbell in the correct position. If I try to raise the elbows the barbell does not touch the body (I trying it with the pvc pipe as a barbell) and I feel a lot of stiffness in neck and shoulders.

[@ntavatzis7]

Will a strenght and mobility exercise work? For example using the resistance of a band to externaly rotate the shoulder in the rack position in order to strengthen the end ROM?

[@kallanresnick]

I appreciate this. Thanks for putting out such great info.

[@SquatUniversity]

Kallan Resnick you’re so welcome!

[@raviprabhakar5334]

Can anyoneplzz tell why elbows cave inwards in a front rack position and how-to fix it

[@krishnabhattacharjee9939]

Hi...during catch phase of clean or during front squat, should the scapula remain elevated or depressed and retracted?

[@j.p.7309]

Wow, that lay stretch is my new favorite. Rounded back + bar = magic

[@tj9382]

Great vid very helpful. Thanks.

[@arturoyjr]

Knowledge is power ….Very Helpful 🙏

[@Mimi-6798]

Best strength COACH 👑

[@SquatUniversity]

Nani Tesfaye honored 🙏🏼