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Need Help Racking the Clean
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dreadlocks1221
Level 0

Join date: Jan 2012
Location:
Posts: 306

I am learning to clean. I have an issue with flexibility in regards to racking it and getting my elbows up high enough and my wrists flexible enough to keep the bar in position. Sometimes when I clean I feel the bar tap me in the chest, which means I haven't gotten my elbows up fast enough?

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kakno
Level 0

Join date: Dec 2008
Location: Sweden
Posts: 2702

Do front squats with the oly grip if you aren't already.

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dreadlocks1221
Level 0

Join date: Jan 2012
Location:
Posts: 306

Oly grip?

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Chris Colucci
Level 5

Join date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, USA
Posts: 5154

dreadlocks1221 wrote:
I am learning to clean. I have an issue with flexibility in regards to racking it and getting my elbows up high enough and my wrists flexible enough to keep the bar in position. Sometimes when I clean I feel the bar tap me in the chest, which means I haven't gotten my elbows up fast enough?

A picture (or video, to see if it's more of a technique problem than flexibility problem) would be helpful, but it would be a good idea to work on the wrist stretch Dan John describes here:


Also, work on holding the stretch above (with fingertips touching) for a 10 or 15-count.

Oly grip?

Front squatting with olympic grip is simply squatting while holding the bar in the "clean" position (technically it's called the "rack" position, but whatever). Kakno's basically suggesting more practice holding that top clean position.

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kakno
Level 0

Join date: Dec 2008
Location: Sweden
Posts: 2702

Yes, this grip. As opposed to the crossed arms grip you sometimes see people use.

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alexus
Level 0

Join date: Feb 2010
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 4556

stretch your wrists. couple times a day. stretch your fingers back from your wrists while you are at it. do your best... will get better over time.

also...

while people eventually develop the flexibility to get their whole hand around the bar you really don't need to to start with. only need one finger on each hand under there. people sometimes err in thinking they need their whole hand wrapped around so don't get their elbows up whereas they would be better to get their elbows up with just one finger of each hand. you'll be able to get more fingers in under there in time.

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