The front rack is a key position when front squatting or pressing overhead. There are different positions you can have your arms in when performing a front rack. These positions have their benefits and weaknesses and should be utilized during certain exercises in order to maximize efficiency.  

In order to best perform each of the front rack positions, a decent level of mobility is required. In particular the lats, forearms, wrists, triceps, t-spine and rear delts. It is a good idea to mobilize these areas so the muscle and joints become pliable enough to have the required level of range of motion to hold each position comfortably. 

High Elbows:

The high elbow front rack position is best used during movements that require a barbell to sit on the shoulders, such as; front squat, thrusters, squat clean, clusters. This is because a “shelf” is created on the anterior delt when the elbows are raised so that the humerus is parallel to the floor. This shelf best supports the barbell / weight as it has no room to roll forward or backwards due to it being horizontal. 

This rack position can be performed with a full grip, or a partial grip where it is 2-3 fingers placed on the bar.

This is according to the mobility of the individual. The full grip is more supportive and should be prioritized over a finger grip due to its more supportive nature. 

The downfall of the high elbow front rack position is it takes a high level of mobility to perform properly which can take some time to develop. People that have tight upper bodies tend to struggle with this position and can be discouraged so resort to a lower position which feels more comfortable, but in the long run it will limit how much you are able to lift. 

Low Elbows:

A lower elbow position is best utilized for overhead barbell press movements such as; strict press, push press, push jerk and split jerk. This is because the barbell is sitting in a full grip position more towards the heel of the hand, closer to the wrist. Power is a lot more easily transferable when the barbell is closer to the wrist and more efficiently transferred into the barbell / weight. 

The elbows tend to be slightly in front of the barbell, with the forearms matching the angle at which the barbell will travel overhead.

This is because the arms will then travel in the most efficient line of action, minimizing any unwanted movement and getting the barbell overhead as fast as possible. 

The low elbow position is not as supportive as the high elbow position so it does limit how much weight you are able to support. It also does require you to have a full grip which can be quite tough if you lack wrist mobility.