Improve Your Front Squat Mobility

The squat is a compound exercise that builds lower-body strength, boosts explosive power, and supports healthier body composition. (1) Among its variations, the front squat can help improve posture and mobility while placing less strain on the spine than back squats.

Mastering the front squat can be challenging for individuals with limited upper-body mobility or strength. The front rack position can often prove tricky for beginners. Common issues include wrist discomfort, grip instability, and improper elbow positioning. 

British Olympic weightlifting specialist and sports performance coach Sonny Webster recently shared how to improve front rack mobility. According to Webster, the problem often isn’t wrist mobility, as many assume. “The real problem is much deeper, and until it’s fixed, you’ll keep dreading cleans and front squats,” he explained.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCgzcJ15at8&ab_channel=SonnyWebster

Reasons for Poor Front Rack Mobility 

• Thoracic Spine
• Lats & Shoulders
• Hip & Ankles

Thoracic Spine

The thoracic spine helps maintain the range of motion needed for an effective front rack position. Limited mobility in this area makes lowering the barbell difficult, forcing it to rest on the wrists and often leading to discomfort or injury. To address this issue, Webster recommends targeted exercises designed to enhance thoracic spine mobility and improve movement quality.

Close-Grip Overhead Squat

1. Start with a deloaded bar to perfect form. 
2. Ensure the wrists are positioned to maintain external rotation of the thoracic spine.
3. Engage the glutes and core.
4. Initiate at the hips while maintaining an upright torso.
5. Gradually lower the range to build strength and mobility in the mid-to-upper back. This adjustment helps maintain an upright torso position, essential when performing cleans.

“To become mobile, particularly in the Olympic lifts, do thoracic mobility exercises that incorporate an element of load and speak directly to the positions you want to be mobile in weightlifting,” Webster recommended. 

Dumbbell Behind-the-Neck Squat

The dumbbell behind-the-neck squat is a scaled option to improve thoracic mobility. 

1. Place a dumbbell behind the head to open the thoracic spine. 
2. Practice squatting repeatedly in this position. 
3. The alternative turtle squat helps keep the elbows high and forces thoracic extension with the load.

Lats & Shoulders

The latissimus dorsi and shoulders help stabilize the barbell in the front rack position during squats. Webster recommends incorporating barbell front rack rotations into your training routine to enhance mobility and strength.

Barbell Front Wrap Rotation

1. Finding a platform for the bar to rest on. 
2. Assume the unrack position using a full grip on the bar.
4. Bring the shoulders up and forward, lean into the rack, and drive the elbows up. Keeping your elbows high is what’s essential for creating a platform for the bar to rest on. This helps to open up the shoulders and lat muscles. 
5. Do this unilaterally, alternating one elbow at a time. The more time you spend on this routine, the more comfortable you will become with performing front squats and cleans.

Hip & Ankles

Limited mobility in the hips and ankles can significantly impact squat depth and form, increasing the risk of injury during front squats. Proper range of motion in these joints is essential, as it enables an upright posture in the upper body, which is crucial for maintaining a strong front rack position. To improve joint strength and mobility, Sonny Webster recommends incorporating the Sots press into your routine.

Sots Press

The Sots press is an exercise elite-level Olympic weightlifters use during warm-ups. To perform this exercise, one must be comfortable pressing from a standing position.

1. Start with a full grip on the bar and start at shoulder width. 
2. Press to an overhead position while focusing on keeping the elbows high. 
   • “Many get this wrong,” Webster stated. “They go through their front rack rotations, working through their fingertips. This isn’t going to carry over to a clean.” 
3. Once conversant with pressing, bend the knees slightly, and perform the exact movement.
4. Continue lowering until pressing from the bottom position becomes achievable.

Control the press during the descents of the Sots presses. Pushing too hard and fast limits the strength development necessary to keep the lower body still.

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Webster argued that stretching is ineffective for improving front rack mobility. Instead, perform exercises with proper intensity to achieve meaningful progress. Focus on the following practices:

• Eight close-grip overhead squats with a light bar.
• Sixty seconds of front rack rotations.
• Barbell or dumbbell Sots presses. 

More Lifting Content

• China’s Weightlifting Team’s Core Training Floats Weights on Their Upper Back
• World Record Weightlifter Karlos Nasar Trains Like a Bodybuilder
• Getting a Grip on Deadlift Strength Standards, With Insight From a Competitive Weightlifter

Reference

1. Takai, Y., Fukunaga, Y., Fujita, E., Mori, H., Yoshimoto, T., Yamamoto, M., & Kanehisa, H. (2013). Effects of body mass-based squat training in adolescent boys. Journal of sports science & medicine, 12(1), 60–65.

Featured image: @lloyd_highperformance on Instagram