Maintaining Front Squat Rack Position & Shoulder Strength
 

Hello,

For the last 25 years my left shoulder has been my weak link. So, that side is a limiter and is always the first to fail under heavy load. Front squats are no exception. My max front squat is 255lbs, and I could in the past fs for 5 or less reps up to 235-40lbs. However, over the past 1.5 months I've seen a serious decline particularly in my ability to maintain the front rack position on the left side.

For example. Here's a clip of 3 reps @225# from 7/18/12.


Here's a clip from today. I attempted 3 reps @185#, but couldn't get through 2 reps without my left side collapsing.


I'm not feeling any particular pain in the left shoulder or side. This decline is also visible when I attempt to do strict shoulder presses, but I haven't seen any decline in push press or jerk. I'm puzzled.

Thoughts?