My mobility experience

[Realtalk]

Ok, before I begin and get ripped to pieces by experts I want to say I'm not an expert at this and this post is not me trying to educate any of you on mobility. This is simply what I am doing and have been doing for my mobility to help my arm pain I am getting during the squat and which is carrying over to my bench press and other exercises. I have gone from unbearable bench workouts where I can't even do a single on 140kg to the other day repping 160kg for 8 reps with no pain. I was asked about this in my training log so I am putting it in here rather than in my journal.

With that said I welcome any advice, corrections and tips. The physio showed me these and I wrote them down. Practise doesn't make perfect, practise makes permanent so just like someone new to gym shown correct form they can drift to shit form after a few sessions, the same can happen with mobility when you show someone like me how to do it lol. Would especially like to hear from onlyhuman as I know this is his profession.

Anyway I have 4 main stretches I do I will post 4 posts with a photo on each one.

[Realtalk]

I use this one for rotation in my pecs and shoulders. I just bring the stick in front of me then back over my head with arms straight. Definitely improving.

Just gonna keep these captions real simple cause I don't wanna blab a load of bullshit.

[Realtalk]

This one is for my external rotation. This is most important in my squat set up which will allow me to set my arms and hands up where I want them without my arms bearing the full weight of the bar. I want my shoulders to be flexible enough that I can set up how I want and have the weight in my back not through my arms. I prop my elbow up on towels to bring it level with my body I push my arm back with my Lower arm pushing the stick. I do reps and do holds but I don't want impingement. So I go gently looking for a small stretch and increasing that.

External rotation

[Realtalk]

This one is for internal shoulder rotation. I tuck my elbow in and apply gentle pressure downward on my upper hand/wrist and feel it in my shoulder. This is a static stretch.

[Realtalk]

This a lat stretch I do. Push my torso into bench and my hips outward good stretch into lats.

I also use lacross ball against wall into my arm pain which is fuckinh sore but no pain no gain. Also do the common Pec stretches against doorway.

I find mobility boring and it gets a bad wrap from some. The benefits aren't overnight. You really have to stick at it and do it consistently. This has taken me weeks and weeks to see any benefit for what I have been doing. Boring as hell. Make it habit.

I have an MRI scan and meeting with specialist on the 14th so that will give me exact cause and what's going on and peace of mind. Looking forward to that.

Hope that was what you were after beastbuilder as you the one who asked me. To others that gives you an insight into another aspect of my training and journey in my powerlifting.

[BeastBuilder]

Awesome bro.

More than just a prettt face lol.

Nah that's mint though, some good stuff there. Those External/Internal Rotation ones seem like a good time, hard but good as I think those are aspects that are important in powerlifting that people overlook (eg Squat set up as you say, Bench technique when people say break the bar it's to cue external rotation etc)

Was talking to Maccaz on Facebook the other day about his Shoulders and Elbows taking a hammering sometimes after Squats, and forgot what it was called that he needed to work on, but yea those External Rotation execises would be the ticket.

Personally I don't seem to have problems with rotation mobility in my Shoulders (fingers crossed it stays that way) holding back any of my lifts but it's interesting all the same !

Funnily enough I already do the Lat stretch you've pointed out when I'm training Lats in between the odd set. Makes for better range of motion and more pump I find.

Good stuff bro.

Now I just need you to teach me how to not blab bullshit with long ass posts lol.

And also how to grow a beard..

[maccaz]

good post!

like beastbuilder said, i have similar problem to what you describe with shoulder/elbow/bicep and if its happening at the light weights i use im gonna be ruined when i get a bit stronger, so gotta get on top of it before it gets worse or ends up needing more than stretching

 

like a pain that is triggered by squatting, but worst when benching

[Realtalk]

Cheers guys.

Maccas,

Yeah well doin all the mobility stuff and carrying on doing what aggravates it ain't gonna do shit. I rest and get mobile. So I substitute my mid-low bar barbell squat for my ssb and my gc bar. If I do any barbell assistance stuff it'll be high bar right up on my neck and light. I hardly bench pressed since the start of the year which you'd see if you followed my journal. My bench press progress although not amazing was all from standing ohp.

If you don't have the speciality squat bars do other variations like front squats, high bar with lifting straps so it's almost a homemade ssb probably pretty uncomfortable but wear a hoodie I dunno. What I do know thought is what I just said - you need to rest while you get mobile otherwise you are pretty much wasting your time. Definitely start now while it's minimal pain. Won't take you do long to fix.

[maccaz]

Cheers guys.

Maccas,

Yeah well doin all the mobility stuff and carrying on doing what aggravates it ain't gonna do shit. I rest and get mobile. So I substitute my mid-low bar barbell squat for my ssb and my gc bar. If I do any barbell assistance stuff it'll be high bar right up on my neck and light. I hardly bench pressed since the start of the year which you'd see if you followed my journal. My bench press progress although not amazing was all from standing ohp.

If you don't have the speciality squat bars do other variations like front squats, high bar with lifting straps so it's almost a homemade ssb probably pretty uncomfortable but wear a hoodie I dunno. What I do know thought is what I just said - you need to rest while you get mobile otherwise you are pretty much wasting your time. Definitely start now while it's minimal pain. Won't take you do long to fix.

 

 

cool yeah nah you're def right, having bar real high feels good and doesnt aggravate it

 

i know how to f*ck it on purpose and thats to not stretch shoulders at all and do some heavy low bar squats, so if i do opposite to that it will be sweet

 

how did you work around benching? 

[Realtalk]

Did standing ohp instead.