Stretching frequency

[BeastCookie]

I am a 35 year old desk jockey who cannot get into the low bar squat position without my palms parallel to the floor. This results in painful elbows and wrists which worsesen as the weight increases. To increase my flexibility, I am using Horn's low bar stretch.

Is there a rest and recovery cycle for stretching? How often should stretches be performed in order to improve my shoulder flexibility? Is twice a day too much? If it is productive, I’d rather spend more time stretching in order to get myself in proper position and cut down on the inflammation in my elbows and wrists. Thank you for your time and wisdom.

[Steve Hill]

You need to not dismiss the possibility that you are doing something wrong. Review Rip's low-bar position video (in the videos section). Post a pic of where you are putting the bar. See a coach, if necessary. I doubt desk jockey = so inflexible that you can't attain the correct position, since I am one.

As far as stretching goes, just do the low bar stretch, as recommended in the video, each time you squat. All else being correct, this will sort itself out in a few weeks.

[Espen Lund]

I might add that in addition to The Paul Horn Stretch, simply hanging from the pull up bar multiple times a day have really helped my shoulders.

[Eric Schexnayder]

I might add that in addition to The Paul Horn Stretch, simply hanging from the pull up bar multiple times a day have really helped my shoulders.

Shoulder dislocations with a broomstick helped me the first time.

Then again, so did learning to stick my chest out and pulling my shoulder blades together. If you're a long-term desk jockey, you've likely trained yourself to be comfortable in thoracic spinal flexion, so it may be difficult for you to know exactly how to get your chest up at first.

[samking7185]

I might add that in addition to The Paul Horn Stretch, simply hanging from the pull up bar multiple times a day have really helped my shoulders.

I 2nd this... Let gravity do the work for you

[bjvinson]

I had the same problem after an extended lay off. My right shoulder hurt so much that I couldn't get into position. I started with doing the Paul Horn stretch and hanging from a pullup bar and the problem
went away after a few weeks.