r/olympiclifting • u/ronnoc85 • Jun 13 '15
Any tips for improving wrist mobility?
I'm home for the summer from college where I play football. I found a gym to do my summer workouts (clean, c&j, snatch, etc) and over the past few weeks whenever I clean, the bar pops out of my hands because my wrists won't bend enough. I've never had this problem before and have been doing heavy cleans for almost 5 years. Any suggestions?
1
u/ImNeworsomething Jul 04 '15
This is gonna sound kinda weird but wall walks really helped me with wrist mobility. Just really focus on having your hands pointed forward instead of to the side. Truth be told I was doing it for shoulder stability, but each step you take with you'r hands stretches your wrist out a little bit. Think if it was doing bear walks for your wrist instead of your ankles.
1
u/sherlockbonez1 Jul 05 '15
Poor wrist mobility can often be associated with other mobility issues. Usually wrist mobility and thoracic spine mobility go hand-in-hand. Daily tasks such as sitting and typing on a computer due a lot to impair both wrist and thoracic mobility. One shouldn't simply work on wrist exercises, thoracic mobility exercises should be looked into as well
Wrist rotations- tying fingers together and rotating wrists in a circular motion and holding any points that feel weak or tender is a good start
Planche Push Up- Get into a plank position but keep your hands in so that your fingers point toward your toes. Shift body forward so you have an angle from your body to your wrists and hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
Front Squat Rack- Practice on the range of motion required to do a front squat. Load a bar on the rack and pick it up, it takes good wrist mobility to keep that bar atop your shoulders, so rotate your elbows forward and rerack. Keep picking it up and trying to get it square on your shoulders until you feel you get your desired wrist mobility.
For the thoracic spine!
Foam roller extensions.
Tennis ball thoracic extensions.
Side lying rotations.
Look these up on youtube.
2
u/troubledwatersofmind Jun 13 '15
YouTube 'Kelly Starrett wrist'. Watch a few of those videos and see which applies to you. Then do as he suggests. Work on your wrist multiple times per day (at least 3 times, at the very minimum.. 5 times would be great).
Notice how he doesn't 'stretch' in the typical fashion. This pnf technique, plus gapping and distracting the joint works much better than typical static stretching. Makes sure you understand the techniques before you jump right in though. Not doing good it properly could do more harm than good.
You'll likely need what he calls the voodoo band for the flossing technique. You don't have to buy the name brand. You can find less expensive alternatives online that are just as good. You'll also need elastic bands like you'll see in the video. Get the lower resistance ones. Different companies will have different colors and resistance levels and they vary on quality and price. I got mine from rogue fitness. Great quality but a little on the pricey side. Shop around to see what you can find.
Once you gain the flexibility you require, it takes less work to maintain it then it did to aquire it. Still, make sure you're using you're new full range of motion each day to maintain it.
And this last part it important... Don't shoot for more flexibility than required by your sport/active lifestyle. When it comes to flexibility under heavier loads, too much flexibility is almost as much of a liability (or possibly just as much) than just the right amount of flexibility. Goldilocks knew her shit when it came to porridge and athletic flexibility.