Front Rack Strength for Bigger Cleans

A strong front rack position can be the difference between a missed or completed heavy clean or front squat. Improving your endurance in the front rack can help decrease time with barbell cycling by allowing you to keep a stable shelf and improve Bar path efficiency. While many factors can go into a successful lift let’s assume you have the following:

1. Full lower body mobility to maintain an upright torso in the bottom of a front squat or clean

2. Appropriate quad strength to eliminate early hip rise out of the bottom

3. A good front rack position. If not check HERE for how to improve your front rack position

For many lifters, cleans are won or lost by the dropping of the elbows. Once the elbows drop the efficiency of your leg drive is reduced making your legs functionally weaker. This results in a longer time under the weight of the bar increasing the chances that you’ll miss the lift. Dropped Elbows is the result of a weakness in the thoracic spine extensors. 

These muscles as a group work to keep the chest up and the elbows high. Consistently, the weakest point for most athletes based on muscle size compared to all other primary movers (ie your legs). When the above mentioned assumptions have been met; use the below exercises for accessory strength to help you develop the strength and endurance of these muscles to keep a solid upper back position. 

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Squat with Elbow Push Throughs

Use assistance as required at the ankle to achieve your ideal bottom position to allow you to spend increased time working on isolating the upper back muscles. Move in and out of good elbow position to develop improved awareness and endurance for repetitive tasks like thrusters.

Anderson Squat

A favorite of mine because it corrects for so many issues in the front squat/clean. This lift emphasizes your ability to generate raw power out of the bottom of a front squat targeting deficits in the upper back and quads. Really focus on hips and shoulders rising at the same rate.

Supra-Maximal Load Front Rack Iso Holds

Load these up 110-120%. Set the rack at or just below your regular height and stand up. Hold for time to improve pillar strength in the core for upright torso endurance.

Upper Back Extensions

Moving into true hypertrophy training of the upper back with these. You can use a bench as I have or substitute a GHD for more support. Work to move segmentally from the shoulders to the start of the lower back. Keep the lower back flat.

Seated Kettlebell Deadlifts

Again more hypertrophy training for the thoracic extensors. Emphasize a controlled lower to minimize movement at the lower back.

Stop neglecting your upper back strength! Need help getting out of pain in the front rack position or personalized accessory programming to target weak areas? Click below to schedule a free phone consultation to see how I can help you.

How to Deadlift with Low Back Pain

Deadlifts are a top shelf exercise. Arguably the most “functional” lift performed on a regular basis due to the similarities in bending and lifting for everyday tasks like picking up your kids, moving boxes or furniture; it has a place in every person’s exercise program. 

Returning to a pain-free deadlift from the floor is a HUGE milestone for athletes returning from injury.

But what should you do when you’re not pain-free or don’t feel confident pulling from the floor? Instead of avoiding the deadlift all together we should scale it to where it’s challenging but non-aggravating. This strategy allows you to still train the pattern and the muscles while building the strength to return to pain-free deadlifting.

Below is a list of progressions and variations I use to modify the deadlift for pain-free performance until athletes are ready and able to pull from the floor.

Hip Thrusts. A great way to load your posterior chain while challenging your ability to control movement at the spine. 

Kettlebell Deadlifts. Reducing possible fear and anxiety associated with barbell deadlifts while increasing freedom of movement at the knees, the kettle bell is an underutilized deadlift modification. 

Rack Pulls or Elevated Deadlifts. BRING THE GROUND UP. Reducing the range of motion of the deadlift is one of my go to modification. Rarely do I have to eliminate deadlifts from a program. With proper cues to achieve spinal stiffness and appropriate bar bath an athlete can often times deadlift in a modified range without pain. If you don’t have access to lifter arms, simply place 45# plates under the barbell. This modification can be applied to any deadlift variation you choose.

Sumo Deadlift. With a wider stance and a more upright trunk position, this variation blends the demands of a deadlift with a squat. This reduces the amount of demand on the lower back and increases the load on the quads.

The deadlift is an important foundational movement. King at strength development for the posterior chain and lower back, but importantly it demands strength and resilience for bending and lifting tasks performed in our everyday lives. Lower back pain can limit your tolerance to conventional deadlifting, but these provided modifications should allow you to train the fundamental movement pattern: the hinge, while you restore pain-free movement to your deadlift.

Ready to restore your deadlift and resolve low back pain? Set up a phone consultation or schedule your initial evaluation with us to get started ASAP.

Top Rehab Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Back

If you’ve been alive for the past 30 years, you’ve heard that the solution to low back pain is core strengthening. I even spent an entire semester in PT school learning about core strengthening. But when I started practicing I realized a huge hole in low back rehab. The lower back muscles need strengthening after injury just like everywhere else in the body. It would be insane to have a rotator cuff injury and not do rotator cuff strengthening…yet direct lower back strength is often lacking in rehab programs.

The deadlift gets a bad rep when it comes to low back injury, however it is king when it comes to lower back strengthening. But sometimes the body needs a break from deadlifting. Whether you’re experiencing low back pain or looking for exercises to use to improve your lower back strength, below are my current favorite exercises to strengthen the lower back directly and build resilience to heavier and repetitive loading

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Chinese Plank. With no movement occurring at the spine or hips this is a great entry level isometric exercise to increase endurance and promote functional stiffness of the lower back. Add a weight across your pelvis for an added challenge.

Reverse Hyper Holds. A progression to supporting more of your bodyweight. No need to extend the lower back when performing because we want to work on minimizing movement at the spine and create stiffness to prevent pain. 

GHD holds. Make sure you’re squeezing your gluten and keeping your torso parallel to the floor. Work up to at least 2 minute holds.

Bent Over Rows. Progressing your movement into the midrange hinge pattern where position of the spine is often lost by athletes to reinforce spinal stiffness and endurance for high volume deadlifting. You can vary whether you use kettle bells, dumbbells, a barbell, or even band resistance.  

Banded Goodmorning. Reintroducing the full motion with band resistance will help to reinforce appropriate movement quality for a better bar path when returning to the barbell. 

Having a strong core is an important part of low back pain management.

Having a strong back is an important part of low back pain management.

Struggling with low back pain?

Send us an email: abigailbird@warriorrxtucson.com to get started on your low back rehab.

Lower Back Strength for the Deadlift

Deadlifts are one of the best exercises for lower back pain rehabilitation.

Deadlifts are one of the most blamed exercises for causing lower back pain.

How can this be?

While the mobility demands of the deadlift are minimal, the lower back strength demands are high.

The deadlift is based around a hip hinge pattern meaning the knees are relatively straight as you push the hips back with a flat back resulting in an inclined torso position. Well, as you hinge forward the load on the lower back increases. When performed with proper technique the deadlift enhances spinal stiffness and strength making it more resilient.

Here are 2 baseline tests to assess your lower back strength and mobility for the deadlift.

Biering-Sorenson Test. Set your GHD such that the front of your hips/pelvis are resting on the pads. Arms across the chest and hold yourself horizontal for as long as possible. 

Good Lower Back Strength: > 2 minutes

Active Straight Leg Raise. Lie on your back with your back flat to the floor and legs straight out in front of you. Keeping the knee straight lift one leg while keeping the other flat.

Good Hamstring mobility: > 80 degrees from the floor.

Didn’t pass these tests? This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be deadlifting, but it may cue you in to some areas for improvement to optimize your set up and pulling performance, while minimizing your injury risk.

Pain with these tests? Pain with deadlifts? Want to optimize your deadlifting efficiency? Contact us to get started!

Crush Your Push up Limits

Bodyweight movements are oftentimes an equalizer for many, and can result in red lining early in a workout or skyrocketing time splits during rounds. This is often due to a limited base of strength, efficiency, and endurance for these movements. When the skill is progressed prematurely without prerequisite strength for the strict movement this is where injury occurs.

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A lot of crossfit athletes are fit and strong humans, but when asked to perform bodyweight skills under high volumes or with higher level skill injuries tend to occur. Specifically with regards to the push up and it's progression the handstand push up. While the handstand push up may seem more closely related to strict overhead press strength, it is actually a progression of the common pushup. It would be recommended that you be able to perform 15 strict push ups with no faults before attempting handstand push ups. 

STRICT PUSH UP POINTS OF PERFORMANCE: A MOVING PLANK

1. Hands just outside shoulder width (simply bend your elbows with your palms facing away from you this should put you in roughly the correct position.)

   * Wider reduces the activation of your pecs and triceps while narrower widths increase this (get more bang for your buck!)

2. Fingers pointed forward (middle finger at 12p) or slightly outward. Fingers should never point inward as this is likely to cause elbow and wrist pain

3. Entire hand contacts the floor, not cupping the floor. 

4. Straight line from shoulders to feet with eyes looking 12” in front of you to keep a comfortable neck posture.

5. Glutes and quads engaged.

6. Descend without change in starting position

7. Elbows stay over the wrists so forearm is vertical to the ground in the bottom

   * More inclined forward increases pec activity while elbows behind the wrist resulted in increased tricep activation

8. Elbows stay close to the body with ≤ 45 degree angle from torso (think forming an arrow not a T) 

9. Return to the starting position with the straight line still intact. 
   

WHY “SAGGING” OR SNAKE PUSH UPS SHOULD BE AVOIDED

Simple: low back and shoulder injury prevention. 

The push up is challenging because of it's demands on the entire body. Your abdominals are working at >50% of the max to keep your spine stable during the push up. Allowing your hips to sag is placing undue stress on the joints of your lower back and cheating you out of stronger abs for more challenging skills….handstand push ups, pull ups, etc. Also allowing your hips to sag changes the pressure at the shoulder joint, as its point of stability (shoulder blade to rib cage) is altered. 

What does this mean: if your sagging your solution is core work including exercises like:

• Hollow holds

• Planks

• Planks on rings

• Planks with your feet elevated on a bench or box

*using a stability/exercise ball under your arms does not increase the demands on your abdominal muscles, but will increase the activity of your upper body.

HOW DO I ELIMINATE THE FAULTS FROM MY PUSH UP

Push up Progressions: Match your current level and perform during the workout. Work on the next progression during open gym or at home as an accessory program. Or shoot us an e-mail with more specific programming questions.

Why are knee push ups not on this list?

Knee push ups should be avoided. Unfortunately, this common modified “girl push up” is both insulting and ineffective. The knee push up significantly alters the form from that “moving plank” increasing the stress on the shoulder, and eliminates the activity of many of the muscles required for a push up, especially the core musculature. This means you’ll never be training the appropriate muscles and never progress from the knee push up to a push up. You will see faster progression and strength utilizing inclined surfaces which you progressively lower to the floor.  

How to increase push up volume

I feel awesome for rounds of 10 push ups….for about 2-3 rounds then my endurance and strength plummet. How do I address this problem? With drop sets of push ups. 

1. Pick a variation of push up: traditional, narrow, hands on parallettes/KBs

2. Perform 3 sets of max repetitions in each of the following variations of the push up variation you choose: 

Declined (feet above hands)

Floor (feet and hands on floor)

Inclined (feet below hands)

3. Allow 20-30 seconds of rest between transitions.

**When performing on parallettes or KBs for increased range when you move to inclined surfaces, place your hands on two benches or boxes to allow your chest to go between your hands to maintain the range of motion. 

Other Accessory Exercises

As discussed in the “sagging” section the strength of the abdominal muscles can be a limiting factor in the push up and is best addressed with the provided exercises in that section. 

In the upper body, the pecs or the triceps could be a limiting factor. Unsure of which? First make sure your hands are no more than shoulder width apart. Second, add a weighted vest or band to your push ups. 

If your pecs are the limiter: 

Try push ups with shoulders inclined further past the hands

If your triceps are the limiter: 

Add in accessory work with diamond push ups, skull crushers, banded pressdowns.

When should I move up or down in the progression?

Regression is often required when pain is present whether its neck, shoulder, or lower back pain. Simply move up or down the scale until you can perform with minimal pain. If you have wrist pain variations can be performed with on your knuckles or your hands on DBs, KBs, or parallettes to minimize the wrist extension required. 

Progress on the variation when you’ve achieved 10-15 repetitions without breaks in form or pain.