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Flexibility is easily the biggest limiter for athletes starting to use the Olympic lifts. Of course, stretching is also the most boring thing you can possibly do. Getting someone flexible is less about what works and what doesn't, and more about what the individual will actually do consistently for the time it takes to get the job done. I've found too that giving suggestions is rarely adequate; people need to be told exactly what do to and be held accountable, or that fancy stretching program you think they're doing will actually be 45 seconds of wiggling around and doing the couple stretches that are most comfortable, which means they're needed the least.

We have two lifters who I recently created a relatively simple and quick flexibility program for. I would like them to do twice as much, but I know it won't happen. They do additional prep work and stretching, but the following is what I've given them to do every single day before training (and whenever else they feel like doing it - more won't hurt). In a short period of time, this has made a huge difference for them. Have a look, try it, or modify it a bit to better suit your own needs.

Foam Roll
1. T-spine, arms overhead
2. Glutes
3. Adductor/Hamstring Origin
4. Quads

Stretch
1. Door jamb pec stretch – 2 min
2. Hang from bar – 2 min
3. Spiderman hold – 2 min
4. Squatting ankle stretch – 2 min
5. OHS x 30

Activation
1. Superman hold - 10 sec
2. Mini-band squat x 15

The hang from bar is just what it sounds like - hang with shoulder-width grip and try to get your chest through your arms. This may work better if your toes are just lightly touching the floor or a box. Also, you probably won't be able to hang for 2 minutes straight--try to accumulate a total of 2 minutes. The mini-band squat is simply an unloaded squat with a short elastic band wrapped around your legs just below the knees. Don't just push the knees out - push out with the feet against the ground.

There are a ton more stretches that you can play with, but this should give you an idea of what I consider a reasonable volume of work for someone. Much more is getting into the excessive realm and you'll probably find that people aren't willing to do it all anyway.

As a final note, understand thet this prescription is for a couple relatively new lifters who are lacking the requisite mobility to perform the lifts optimally. Static stretching pre-workout is generally discouraged, except in cases such as this where the need for flexibility eclipses any concerns over relatively minor performance degradation as a result of pre-training static stretching. For more advanced lifters with better mobility, training preparation will involve only dynamic flexibilty work (with a couple exceptions such as the ankles and wrists).