Been watching the Olympic Weightlifting and I have realised how terrible my lifting technique really is!
The scoop of these guys is really pronounced. After getting in the gym after watching some inspirational lifting (Guozheng Zhang of china in the 62-69kg class snatching 160kg) I realised that my own scoop was non existant. So I tried to change my technique but it felt strange and forced. So I watched some more lifting and realised that their shoulders were really far ahead of the bar. So went back to the gym and cracked it. Feels great, same weight I’d use normally felt really light after.
That’s why I’ve been trying to catch it, but it if you only saw TV, you’b be convinced that the Olypics is comprised of gymnastics, swimming, and swimming gymnastics.
One of the things I found helpful is actually on the NBC Olypics page (www.nbcolympics.com). If you go to the explanation of the games, they have video of all of the lifts. You can move it frame by frame to see exactly how they do it. For someone who’s just starting out with these lifts, just that little bit taught me a lot.
2 Really wide grips on cleans (I have been putting my thumbs right next to the curling). Even the little guys have their thumbs 3-4 inches wide of the curling. Even more on jerks for some (after cleaning the bar some move hands out to almost a snatch grip).
3 In slow mo it looks like a lot of the lifter are pulling with their arms. Some even look to be pulling with their arms at the very start of the second pull (could be wrong about this).
4 Sagir who won the mens 77 kg wow! 19 years old, relatively slim and lifting almost what the top guys in the 85 kg class are lifting (e.g. 202.5 kg C+J).
5 Pitty to see Dimas retire.
6 I have no pride left after seeing really small men and women lift more than me. I could only just out lift a few of the lower ranked women in the lighter weight classes. LOL
7 How can they bounce out of front squats like that?
Back to the gym to add another 100kg to my snatch and clean+jerk for the next olympics! Hell it only 5kg a month?
Every time the Olympics came around I always said to myself that this time I’ll learn how to do the lifts. Well, in 2000, I started to learn the lifts and finally kept with it, and here I am 4 years later. I’ve had no one-on-one coaching – it’s all been trial and error. I started with what could best be described as a cheated upright row and I think I finally have something resembling an explosive pull.
So what’s the point of the story? Only to show that I’ve messed around with these for the last 4 years and I’ve picked up some common sense along the way if not actual knowledge about the lifts. Here are some tips:
I watch the elite lifters to appreciate what they do, not to pick up technique tips. Here’s why - they’re elite; I ain’t. Watch closely, and you’ll see that they don’t pull the bar high at all. Instead, they rely on speed to get under the bar. If you’re trying to learn the power clean, you’re relying more on pulling the bar higher rather than trying to get under the bar faster. Even if you can do the squat versions of the lifts, most amateur lifters rely on a higher bar pull.
The Olympic lifts rely on several coordinated movements of the body. If you focus on one aspect for too long, the rest goes to crap. If you do want to focus on one thing, focus on this - an aggressive hip snap. Although we’re trying to propel the bar upward, the hip snap is actually an aggressive thrust forward of the hips. I know - it seems counterintuitive, but it works. Once I mastered this, the rest seemed to fall into place.
I developed a feel for the hip thrust by doing swings. I would swing a kettlebell, but you can use dumbbells or anything else. Use one arm and swing between your legs. Go for high reps. Now, some people would say that doing swings will ruin your technique because the swing encourages you to keep whatever you’re swing far away from your body and you need to keep the bar close, yada yada. This is true, but for me, it was worth the risk. And why do I recommend high reps? Because unless you plan on swinging a 100 lb. dumbbell, which I don’t recommend, you will probably use a weight that you can muscle up. This means that you’ll be tempted to use your arm for the first few reps. Well, after doing 10 or so reps, your arm will get tired and your hips and lower body will start to kick in and take over doing the work. This is where you’ll really get the feel for the power of the hip snap. And this is a great way to build GPP.
The elite lifters seem to start their second pull with the bar very high on their thighs and their trunks almost vertical. In fact, if you watch the snatch, they almost seem to pull from their hips. At the opposite extreme, when I was doing my “cheat upright row,” I would start my second pull from the knees. Not good. I think for amateur lifters, starting the second pull with the bar somewhere in the middle of your thighs is okay. Since hacks like us rely on pulling the bar higher, we need to get more acceleration on the bar, which means we need more to start the bar a little lower on the thighs. Read Chris Thibaudeau’s articles on the snatch and look at where he starts his second pull.
The observation to keep the bar close is correct. The bar is your friend. Learn to love it.
Find the one exercise that contributes most to your pulling power. Everyone says that Oly lifters need to squat - that’s true. But the squat doesn’t necessarily develop pulling power in all lifters equally. For instance, I’ve found that the Romanian deadlift and the jump squat really help to increase my clean and snatch. For some lifters, squats and pulls are all they need.
[quote]bluey wrote:
A couple of points that I noticed:
2 Really wide grips on cleans (I have been putting my thumbs right next to the curling). Even the little guys have their thumbs 3-4 inches wide of the curling. Even more on jerks for some (after cleaning the bar some move hands out to almost a snatch grip).
3 In slow mo it looks like a lot of the lifter are pulling with their arms. Some even look to be pulling with their arms at the very start of the second pull (could be wrong about this).
4 Sagir who won the mens 77 kg wow! 19 years old, relatively slim and lifting almost what the top guys in the 85 kg class are lifting (e.g. 202.5 kg C+J).
5 Pitty to see Dimas retire.
6 I have no pride left after seeing really small men and women lift more than me. I could only just out lift a few of the lower ranked women in the lighter weight classes. LOL
7 How can they bounce out of front squats like that?
Back to the gym to add another 100kg to my snatch and clean+jerk for the next olympics! Hell it only 5kg a month?
[/quote]
The wider spacing on the clean is often to help the Jerk. Most of these guys can outpull their pressing, so to speak, so they use the wider grip in the Jerk. (Similar reasoning to using a wide grip in the bench in PWRLIFTING).
-It does often look like they are pulling with the arms, but they’re not. The bar is moving amazingly fast and the arms bend quickly to prepare for the catch. The power the elite guys produce is amazing.
-I agree about Dimas. My favorite athlete of all time. What an achievment, 3 golds and a bronze…Quite a career.
Hopefully, Khai will get his 4th Gold today in front of the home crowd.