Shoulder Mobility Snatch and Clean and Jerk
One of my coaches said to me that the Snatch and Clean and Jerk are life time lifts meaning you can never master these lifts only improve them as time goes on .Whether you are new or a seasoned veteran to Olympic Lifting improving your overhead position is a never ending routine with lifting .Healthy strong shoulders can be the difference in making a lift or increasing your lift totals by a huge amount quickly this normally occurs in the early days when the lifter is just starting out movement patterns are sound and he /she has a solid strength base . We find the ones that can normally press the weight but struggle with snatching it have some sort of upper body or lower body mobility restriction . The one thing I like about these lifts is their is no hiding and it can bring out the underlying issue the athlete is having. Im not happy they have that issue but when I see it I can fix it . Once the problem is identified their needs to be a plan of attack and correct the issue.
One the biggest problems a lifter can have is expecting to implement and resolve their overhead problems in a few weeks.The most important thing to know with regard to improving overhead mobility (and mobility in general) is that it requires a frustrating combination of consistency and patience it will not be a quick fix.
Some of the exercises in the video should not be used for individuals with extreme inflexibility behind the neck exercises should be avoided if it causes pain. Push presses behind the neck will probably be the first that become accessible as flexibility improves, as the momentum created by the legs carries the bar through the most limited range of motion and consequently reduces the demand on the shoulder structures. The amount of leg drive can be reduced, and/or the weight increased, over time as mobility improves.
The bottom line is this do as much mobility work each day as you can stand, do it consistently for a long period of time, include exercises in your training that help create or maintain mobility and strengthen and stabilize the overhead position, and expect it to be a long, boring process. The good news is incuding that extra mobility in your routine will not only help you improve your Snatch and Clean and Jerk but it will also help improve other exercises plus any overhead movement you do in everyday life which is what it is all about.