Rip, Kstar, and Shoulder Inflexibility

[dartdart]

Rip,

Just finished reading SS copy my son turned me on to (will be ordering PP this week). He's been on the program and putting on beef for the last six months. I am 40, versed in all sorts of bad form, and humble enough to step back and learn some new tricks. The logic, physiological explanations, and static forces diagrams in the book are amazing. Thank you.

WRT shoulder inflexibility, I have quite long arms and have been having extreme difficulty in getting the thumb over the bar, arm straight, and grip in. My previous squat form was more akin to loose back, high on neck, stick arms wherever, no Valsalva, and getting nowhere near parallel. I am going grip wide, and narrowing as flexibility allows. I am a regular follower of the mobilitywod website, and I found a 2008 thread on your forum where you said Kelly Starrett manipulated one of your shoulder capsules which enabled you to significantly increase flexibility in raising your humerus (guess due to OHS reference).

My question: how was this performed? Was it through myriad of exercises he describes in the mwod archives, or did he do the general anesthesia where he puts you out and does the (in there manipulation), was it the water injection method? Second question: how long did it last?

Thanks for all your excellent feedback and support to building strong people. -d'Art

[Mark Rippetoe]

He used the Maitland method. See if you can find practitioner. I t helped a while with the one side, the other side did not respond. They are both better now even after surgery, due to much overhead work.

[jkw]

Have you tried doing simple flexibility exercises? It took me about 3 weeks to go from not being able to get my thumbs around the bar to fairly narrow comfortable grip by doing broomstick dislocates, arm circles, pec stretches, and probably most usefully holding a broomstick in low bar position for a minute or so then resting, then moving hands in a little and repeating. Easy to do in front of tv every night.

[patterson]

yeah this has been a consern of mine latly as well, I can get into a good position after about 4 sets of warm ups, so its before the heavy weight. But my shoulders are just real tight back there. I have found my self just putting the empty bar on my back to stretch out before squating. I'll hold it for like 30 seconds then set it down rest for 30 seconds and do it again until my shoulders lossen up.

[dartdart]

Thanks for the feedback, will give it a go. Trying to get a little more flexible, a little straighter every day... Thank God the weight continues to go up on the bar!