NRLW - 2A - Shoulder flexibility and the front squat
 

I also plan to check out the NRLW forums but I need help with these.

I believe I have a flexibility issue, I can't get my elbows anywhere near a 90 degree angle without having the barbell resting on my throat and choking me. What are my options? I tried having my husband try it and he also lacks the flexibility.

Edited - Forgot to add that its the front squat push press, so I need to do the squat and then push the barbell overhead.

Any advice?

Are you sure the flexibility issue is in the shoulder? Wrist flexibilities are much more common with this. When you have the bar up in the clean grip, do you have the little finger under the bar with the three middle fingers? If so, try removing you little finger and keeping the bar in place with just the three middle fingers. If the inflexibility is in the wrist, you should gain a few inches and be able to get and keep the elbows up easier.

You could try Dolphin pose or cow face pose with a strap to get
your flexibility up

Dolphin pose http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2462

or cow face pose http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/689

in the meantime you could try breaking the exercise up like doing squat with the bar behind your neck. Good mornings and overhead presses.

Hi Nelie.

I had no elbow flexibility issues that I can recall, With my elbows at 90 degrees, the bar is way above my throat. Are you sure you are using the right grip ? Can you do it without weight ?

I ask if you can do it without weight because I thought I could anatomically not do the cuban snatch. But when I tried without weight I could. So maybe try with a broomstick first?

good luck,
rabbit

I can't do it without weight, I tried with a stick and my husband tried with a stick as well. If I try to do the move without anything, my palms end up near my ears (fingertips near neck).

This link really helped me. It's a little long, but the explanations really really really help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI4vQ...eature=related

Photochick - I was looking at various thrusters, including that video before and even they don't have their elbows at 90 degrees. He does seem to have a lot more wrist flexibility than I do though but still the elbows are pointed down.

Yeah, I notice that about the elbows, but I think that flexibility has a lot to do with it. I'm not nearly as flexible in my wrists/elbows as I am elsewhere.

I wonder what can be done to change that??

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I think this was depressing me too much. I tried it again last night and then said forget it. I ended up doing 2A, using kettlebells instead of a barbell for the front squat/push. It was just too uncomfortable and awkward for me.

I guess I did something right though because I'm sore today.

Sore is good! :)

I have noticed that there are times that if I just move on and come back to it later, it becomes easier. Sometimes I just gotta walk away and give it some time.

Hang in there! It's nice to know someone else here who's working through the program.

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Nelie, I can't get my wrists to bend that far yet, either. For now, I'm just practicing these during my warm-up, 10 reps with a stick, to try and get the form down, and using DB thrusters for the actual workout.