killer pain in wrist from cleans?

[acquadiice]

i recently started having really bad pains in my left wrist.

i was doing power cleans before n i never experienced these pains but now that i clean 3x a week i have them now... is it that my wrist arent use to it??

[ehlpitel]

That's quite possible, for me, my wrists got used doing them after a few weeks.

[acquadiice]

That's quite possible, for me, my wrists got used doing them after a few weeks.

well hopefully my wrist will recover cause its in a lot of pain

[Marc27Default]

Are you racking the bar on your shoulders? Your hands should not be "holding" onto the bar, they just keep it from rolling off your shoulders. Sometimes people try to hold the bar up like they are going to press it and this is bad. However if you are racking correctly then sometimes it takes a week or two to still get good flexibility. I had the pain for about a week.

[acquadiice]

Are you racking the bar on your shoulders? Your hands should not be "holding" onto the bar, they just keep it from rolling off your shoulders. Sometimes people try to hold the bar up like they are going to press it and this is bad. However if you are racking correctly then sometimes it takes a week or two to still get good flexibility. I had the pain for about a week.

im sorta holding it cause my arms cant bend parallel to keep the bar up because it feels like my bicep is in way... please help!!

[madaozeki]

Post a picture of your rack :D

Um, what I mean is post a picture of how you're racking the bar. It sounds like you're racking it high on the chest instead of across the traps.

Again, like I mentioned in the other thread, if you're able to touch the back of your neck with your fingers, you have plenty of flexibility to rack properly. Do it right now: touch your middle fingers to a bone on the back of your neck. That's the position your arms will be in when you rack the bar, and the bar will be sitting across your traps, in the wedge created by your shoulders being high.

Now rotate your wrists so your THUMBS are touching the back of your neck and your palms are facing the sky (more or less). This will feel tighter, but that's ok. When a heavy barbell is on your fingers, it'll hold them back. Just don't try gripping the bar tightly, as marc mentioned.

[acquadiice]

Post a picture of your rack :D

Um, what I mean is post a picture of how you're racking the bar. It sounds like you're racking it high on the chest instead of across the traps.

Again, like I mentioned in the other thread, if you're able to touch the back of your neck with your fingers, you have plenty of flexibility to rack properly. Do it right now: touch your middle fingers to a bone on the back of your neck. That's the position your arms will be in when you rack the bar, and the bar will be sitting across your traps, in the wedge created by your shoulders being high.

Now rotate your wrists so your THUMBS are touching the back of your neck and your palms are facing the sky (more or less). This will feel tighter, but that's ok. When a heavy barbell is on your fingers, it'll hold them back. Just don't try gripping the bar tightly, as marc mentioned.

why would that b the position of the bar, that would mean the bar would b behind my heaD??

[madaozeki]

"That's the position your arms will be in when you rack the bar"

Your arms will be up, the bar sits across your traps in front of your neck :)

This guys arms aren't even high and he's still racking it in the right spot:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Weightlifting.jpg/800px-Weightlifting.jpg

Notice it's nowhere near the chest.

His elbows are quite a bit higher, which makes it easier:

http://www.owresource.com/lifts/clean.jpg

See how this lifter isn't gripping the bar tightly? Just barely touching it with his fingertips:

http://www.columbusweightlifting.org/profiles/tony-arnold2006.jpg

[pyrolee]

See how this lifter isn't gripping the bar tightly? Just barely touching it with his fingertips:

http://www.columbusweightlifting.org/profiles/tony-arnold2006.jpgHow does one transition into the jerk from this grip while keeping the elbows up?

[Marc27Default]

Usually when you are standing up it is easier to grip the bar with a closed hand. It is MORE difficult in the deep squat when your torso inclines forward ever so slightly. Also you are not moving or exerting anymore so you have a chance to actively adjust your grip. Some people may drop their elbows slightly but you do want to keep them pretty high. Flexibility is not an issue once you are used to it. I don't even think about gripping the bar, I just do it.

[madaozeki]

How does one transition into the jerk from this grip while keeping the elbows up?

There are, in general, 2 positions you can jerk from.

Some lifters jerk directly from the high-elbows position by sneaking their hands around the bar at the end of the clean. Notice how this lifter receives the clean with just his fingertips on the bar, but then when he's finished standing up, the bar jumps a bit, and gives him a chance to get a better jerk grip:
http://www.qwa.org/natrecvideo/Ben%20171cj.mpeg

Others completely reset and drop their elbows so their forearms are almost perpendicular to the ground. This lifter has more wrist flexibility and receives the clean pretty much holding the bar. Then she resets everything for the jerk:
http://www.qwa.org/natrecvideo/davinacj83.mpg

[pyrolee]

Thank you! Exactly the kind of info/demonstrations that I needed.

Also, regarding the girl in the 2nd video, the low elbows seem to give the jerk a "press like" quality?

Personally I feel scared trying to jerk the weight from a high-elbow position because it's like my arms don't have any power/stability. The low elbow position seems much safer to me, but I was assuming that this position was wrong? Any advice?

[madaozeki]

Thank you! Exactly the kind of info/demonstrations that I needed.

Also, regarding the girl in the 2nd video, the low elbows seem to give the jerk a "press like" quality?

Personally I feel scared trying to jerk the weight from a high-elbow position because it's like my arms don't have any power/stability. The low elbow position seems much safer to me, but I was assuming that this position was wrong? Any advice?

Try them both and see which works best for you!

Lowering the elbows actually has nothing to do with "pressing" per se (though psychologically it might feel more stable)... rather, it means you have to move your arms less distance after you explode, since they've already done half the work. What I mean is:

1. The locked out position requires straight arms perpendicular to the floor.
2. The elbows-high jerking position has bent arms parallel to the floor.
3. The elbows-low jerking position has bent arms near-perpendicular to the floor.

That means if you choose #2, you have to both straighten your arms AND change the angle WRT the ground, while if you choose #3, you only have to straighten them. So it saves a fraction of a second.

However, some lifters find it difficult to maintain a high chest and tight positions when they lower their elbows...

[pyrolee]

...I see, so basically having your elbows up high is mainly important for the catch in the full front squat position...I was under the impression that it was required for the jerk as well to maintain "good form."

[madaozeki]

Nope, just for receiving the clean. If you receive with low elbows, the bar will have a tendency to slide down the chest, your back caves and you lose the weight in front. High elbows allow for a solid rack and a great, upright position to recover from.

[acquadiice]

yeah im done... power cleans and everything are fine now... great tight form and everything so nothing hurts... practice form before the weight guys!! thanks for all the help guys

[madaozeki]

glad to hear there's no more pain :) lift strong!

[acquadiice]

glad to hear there's no more pain :) lift strong!

thanks for your help man!!