Rack Delivery

Also called rack position drill, clean turnover drill and scarecrow drill.

Works

Shoulders, plus forearms and traps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Intermediate

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. This drill teaches the delivery of the barbell to the rack position on the shoulders. Begin holding a bar in the scarecrow position, with the upper arms parallel to the floor, and the forearms hanging down. Use a hook grip, with your fingers wrapped over your thumbs.

1. Begin by rotating the elbows around the bar, delivering the bar to the shoulders. As your elbows come forward, relax your grip. The shoulders should be protracted, providing a shelf for the bar, which should lightly contact the throat.
2. It is important that the bar stay close to the body at all times, as with a heavier load any distance will result in an unwanted collision. As the movement becomes smoother, speed and load can be increased before progressing further.

Cues

• Upper arms level, forearms hanging.
• Whip the elbows around the bar.
• Relax the grip as elbows rise.
• Bar lands on shoulders, touching throat.

Common mistakes

• Death-gripping the bar.
• Elbows dropping in the rack.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have sore wrists. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Harder