Front Rack Blog Post
By Ashkan Amirsoleymani
Hey guys, Coach Ash here and I want to talk to you about the front rack. We see a variation of the front rack position in a ton of the lifts we do, and being able to set up properly is a key to making a successful lift.
Let’s talk about the different variations of the front rack:
Strict Press rack – Full grip on the bar, vertical forearms.
Push Press/Push Jerk/Split Jerk Rack – Full grip on the bar, elbows and 45 degrees (between strict press rack and front squat rack)
Front Squat Rack – Loose grip on the bar (on fingertips), elbows at 90 degrees and pointing straight forward.
Now here are some common errors in the position:
Elbows behind the body -Incredibly inefficient and adds a lot of strain to the wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
Elbows in - Causes strain on the wrist and a rounded upper back
Ribs poking out - Causes an unstable trunk and adds stress to the lower back.
So, how do we solve this???
The coaches will always remind you of which position you need to be in, and we’ll do mobility drills in the warm up to help get you there, but that shouldn’t be the only time you guys work on positioning and mobility. If you know you have a tough time getting into any variation of the front rack, you should be doing mobility drills on your own too. Don’t know any? Well today is your lucky day because I am going to share a few with you…
T-spine smash with a double lax ball - Position the peanut between your shoulder blades, horizontally, so your spine is in the gap of the balls. Give yourself a nice big hug and lay on the peanut. Tuck your ribs so they don’t flare out and try to push your shoulders to the ground. To amplify, plant your heels to the ground and lift your butt in the air. Stay in this position for about 2-3 minutes.
Super Front Rack – Wrap a band to the lower portion of the weight rack, and wrap the other end around your wrist. Turn your body away from the band, keep your palm up towards the sky and keep your elbow in tight to the side of your head. Squeeze your abs and don’t let your ribs flare out. Use your free hand to hold your elbow tight to your head. Hold 2-3 minutes on each arm.
Bilateral internal rotation mobilization with a partner – Get yourself into a bridge position with your heals and shoulders firmly planted on the ground, drive your hips up in the air, and place your hands on your lower back. Now your partner will place their hands on the front of your shoulders with their thumbs pointed out, and apply some downward force. Next, you will slowly lower your hips while maintaining a braced position. Hold for 2 minutes.
Lax ball forearm smash – Position your forearm on a lacrosse ball and turn your palm up towards the sky. Ideally, you want to find a stiff spot and smash it out. Use your other hand to add downward pressure on your forearm. From here do some super slow wrist circles and smash out the forearm even more. Once you feel a change, move to another tight spot and repeat.
Banded wrist distraction – Hook up a band to the bottom of the weight rack and the other end around your wrist. Point your fingers away from the band, and place palm flat on the ground. You should be just far enough so there is some tension on the band. Place your off hand on top of the hand in the band and hold down firmly. From here, lock out your elbow and shift back and forth to the end range of motion in your wrist until you feel some change in the joint.
These are just some mobility drills you can work on before, after, and even during class. Let’s get those front racks as pretty as Ashley Mak’s!!!!!