Wrist Extension with the Barbell Overhead

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This week (and for the next few weeks) I am joined by Mike Cerbus (follow him on IG @mikecerbus), who was the 2011 American Open Champion, 8x national medalist, and director of weightlifting for Power Monkey Fitness, to discuss some thoughts and topics about weightlifting.

The first in this series is on the wrist going into extension with overhead lifts.

The wrist joint needs to be in extension in the overhead barbell lifts (especially snatching and overhead squatting) in order to properly stack the weight with minimal abnormal stress to other areas of the body.

Common areas of the body that can be affected by keeping the wrist held strong in neutral are...every other joint that has to move in that lift. The movement has to happen somewhere.

For a movement like an overhead squat, it's a game of balance. The weight has to be in a certain position to not fall over. If the wrists aren't extended, the shoulders, elbows, spine, hips, knees, ankles will all be affected in how much motion they need to provide to keep the weight appropriately stacked.

This can lead to the shoulders being in a position that isn't good for long term shoulder health.

Make special note of that. Long term health of the joints. Some great lifters may break these rules, but at what expense? There is also a cost/benefit analysis that has to be taken into account when you're talking about performance vs long term joint health.

Enjoy! Mike and I filmed a couple videos that will be coming out over the next several weeks.

If you need some additional help with your shoulders, check out our newly released Shoulder Accessory Program.

Ryan