Building a Strong Foundation: Mastering the Olympic Lifts

In its simplest format the Snatch, Clean and Jerk are essentially the same. The lifter exerts a force against the ground, this accelerates the barbell upwards, the lifter then pulls (Snatch and Clean) or pushes (Jerk) against the inertia of the barbell, the uses the pull/push to help travel downwards securing the barbell in the receiving position. At this point the lifter recovers by standing up.

BUT….

You can’t build a house on a weak foundation.

There are two parts to your foundation – the physical and mental.

Physical

Before you can be proficient at the Olympic lifts you must have adequate mobility, stability and strength in the starting, pulling, receiving and recovery positions.

The best way to do that is to build it in a sequential fashion.

Here is are examples of sequential programming to improve mobility and strength in the receiving and recovery position of the main lifts.

Muscle Snatch – Overhead Squat – Tall Snatch - Power Snatch - Snatch

Muscle Clean – Front Squat – Tall Clean - Power clean - Clean

Overhead Press - Push press – Tall Power Jerk - Power Jerk – Tall split Jerk – Split Jerk

The above example is not limited to this sequence. In most cases many of these variations will be trained simultaneous to each other in addition to other manipulations of training variables.

Mental

You must have the proper mental models to what actually happens during the lifts. A faulty mental model can produce faulty movement patterns.

There are 3 phases in the Olympic Lifts; 1st pull, 2nd pull and 3rd pull.

1st pull is the initiation of the barbell from the floor to about mid-thigh. As the plates break the ground, you’ll see the knees sliding backwards, shoulders staying on top of or in front of the bar. The bar then transitions past the knees. After that point the knees re-bend and move forward. The bar then travels to about mid-thigh.

2nd pull is the violent and final extension of the hips and knees. This spot in the range of motion is also known as the power position. Proper execution of the 2nd pull, (keeping the bar close to the body) is responsible for producing the force needed to accelerate the bar creating enough inertia so that the lifter can enter the 3rd pull.

3rd pull is the lifter’s transition from full extension (applying upward forcing into the bar) into the receiving position. The lifter uses inertia to quickly retracts the body into a secure receiving position. Ensuring proper connection to the bar throughout this phase is essential to a successful lift.

To get better at the Olympic Lifts one understands and accepts that this a gradual learning process and may happen over years. To improve technique in the lifts, both the coach and athlete must continually deepen the mechanical understanding of the lifts. In addition to properly sequencing the training programming to build lagging areas, of the movement and the lifter, that are may be preventing better execution of the lifts or preventing overall growth as a lifter. Keep an open mind and keep trying to deepen your understanding through reading, observing and practical application.

The Heart of the Snatch and Clean and Jerk

TIMING

At the heart of the Snatch and Clean and Jerk is timing of the simultaneous extension of the hips knees ankles before the arms flex.

When this sequence is done correctly it exerts maximum force into the barbell and allowing for the highest elevate.

If the this timing is done out sequence (arms bend first) or not completed (the hips and knees do not fully extend) the lifter will compensate for either a forward bar path or will need to retract the body quickly get under the bar because of low elevation.

We do not want to compensate for incorrect movement mechanics.  

You must practice correct timing.

Practical application

Start standing straight up with the bar in your hands. Then slight unlock the hips and knees with the shoulders forward of the bar and you weight balance over the mid foot. This is the Power Position. All three exercises will start here on every rep.  

Snatch/Clean Pull – Pause in the power position. While keeping the arms straight and loose extend the hips knees and ankles then shrug. Use your lats to keep the bar on the body and balance on the toes for a 1 count

Snatch/Clean High pull – Pause in the power position. While keeping the arms straight and loose extend the hips knees and ankles then shrug and guide the bar up the torse by bending the elbows. Use your lats to keep the bar on the body, keep it close upon when your elbows are bend and balance on the toes for a 1 count

Power Snatch/Clean – Pause in the power position. While keeping the arms straight and loose extend aggressively jump extending the hips knees and ankles then guide the bar up close to the torse and aggressively secure the bar overhead or in the front rack position. Pause in the catch for 1 count and make sure you’re balanced and stable.

 Disclaimer:

-when the weight gets heavier you will no longer be able to hold the pulls and high pulls, the 1 count pauses is to reinforce maximal hip, knee and ankle contraction which is the source of power

-Some athletes use and early arm bend intentionally, this should be done only by lifters who’ve mastered this timing and have a valid reason to do so, determined by a coach or through years of personal experience

-Pull and high pull are mainly conscious behaviors, the powers are mainly subconscious so don’t over think the power.  

Starting and Receiving Positions

1.Muscle Clean/Snatch - Securing the bar in the front rack or overhead position with straight legs.

2.Power clean/snatch - Securing the bar in with the front rack or overhead position with a rebend in the knees and hips anywhere between slightly unlocked to  knees just  above 90 degrees of the hip crease.  

3.Clean/Snatch -  Securing the bar in the front rack or overhead position while squatting all the way down. Hip crease drops below 90 degrees.   

4.Hang  (any variation) - the weights start off the floor, hence hang. This can be a hang from the power position,  high hip, mid thigh, above the knees, at the knee, below the knee, mid shin or a few inches off the floor. 

If you want to get better at Olympic Weightlifting journey you must understanding the differences between these terms

Learn How to Hook Grip

Why Hook Grip?

Hook grip allows for two things,

1. a secure grip on the bar without grip strength limitations and

2. because of the passive nature of the grip it allows you to rotate under the bar minimizing the creation of a moment arm that a full grip will produce 

How to Hook Grip

Set up a barbell in a power rack

Stand inside the rack so you are facing away from the open end of the j-hooks

Chalk up the surface of the thumb, thumbnail, and entire hand.

Start with the right hand, firmly press the web of the thumb into the knurling.

Lay the index and middle fingers over the thumbnail and thumb knuckle and squeeze tight.

Relax the forearm and elbow on the right arm.

The only thing that is tight is the 2 fingers on top of the thumb.

While keeping the right arm passive and the fingers secure use the left arm, push into the bar and try to “rip” the right hand away from the bar.

Take note of how secure it feels

Remember you are not to release the tension on the two fingers.

Now repeat the process with the left hand

You may notice difference between the left to the right hands, and this may be due to anatomical asymmetries or pervious trauma.

Next do hook grip for both hands at the same time. And instead of trying to “rip” the hands off the bar simply walk so your body is horizontal as if you were to perform a horizontal row.

After you get the gist chalk up then set your grip on the barbell in the style of deadlift you intend to perform. If you have been using a full grip for a while this may take some getting use to. So I recommend using it during lighter sets until you build you confidence with heavier weights.

Why Weightlift?

To clear the air. Many people use the term “weightlift” to refer to any style of lifting weights. This is dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, odd objects and anything else that can be considered an act of lifting something weighted. Weightlifting, like Powerlifting, is a specific term used to describe a strength sport. You’ll often hear people will use the term “Olympic Weightlifting” to refer to Weightlifting.

How Powerlifting differs from Weightlifting

Weightlifting uses two lifts: Snatch and Clean and Jerk. In the same manner as powerlifting the lifter is taking a loaded barbell and trying to secure a weight displaying complete control in a fully locked out position. The lifter picks up a weight from the floor and secure it overhead. This cannot be done slowly. A more advanced an athlete is the quicker than a less experienced athlete at maximum attempts.   

Powerlifting uses three lifts: Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. A completed lift requires the lifter to overcoming a weighted barbell, through a specific range of motion displaying complete control in a fully locked out position. Usually it’s a maximum effort attempt, and with a more experienced lifter the heavy weight will move slowly.

 A Powerlifter will lift a heavy weight slowly with maximum intention meanwhile a Weightlifter will lift a moderate weight fast with maximum intention.

These two strength sports are foundationally applicable to most sports because strength and power output are the forefront of sports performance.

Take baseball, football, basketball, sprinting, jumping, strongman, throwing, CrossFit, boxing and wrestling all these sports require quick fast movements in short bursts. Being strong and then honing the ability to express force rapidly builds the physical attribute of power output. Powerlifting develops the underlying strength while weightlifting refines the ability to produce force at a rapid rate.

Strength is typically defined by how much weight you can move through a range of motion. To make a barbell momentarily air born the amount of force needed will depend on how heavy the weight is (relative to their maximum strength) and how quickly it can be moved. The required force required needs to happen in a split second’s worth of time. This type of force production is referred to as instantaneous power.

THAT is the component that separates Weightlifting from Powerlifting.

YOU GOT THE POWER?

The quicker you can accelerate an object the more power you will produce.

The heavier the object is with the same acceleration, the more power you are producing.

Power = (Force *Distance) ÷ Time

The example below is a comparison of power between a heavy deadlift (powerlifting) and a power clean (weightlifting).

 For simplicity’s sake I’ll define FORCE as weight on the bar and convert units of measurement as needed

Lifter A Deadlifts 405lbs taking 3 seconds, moving the bar 20”to lockout

First I’ll convert…

-405lbs to newtons (1800 newtons)

-20” to meters (0.5meters)

Second, I’ll plug it into the equation

(1800 NEWTONS * 0.5M) ÷ 3 SECONDS = 300 WATTS

Lifter B Power Cleans 225lbs, takes ½ second to move the bar 40” to the rack position

Convert…

-225lbs to newtons (1000 newtons)

-40” to meters (1 meter)

 Then plug it in

 (1000 NEWTONS * 1M) ÷ 0.5 SECONDS = 2000 WATTS

In these two examples although the deadlift is 180lbs heavier the power clean produced 1700 more watts of power than the deadlift.

Maximum Force Output

The faster you can move an object the more instantaneous power you are producing. It is important to note that the stronger you are the potentially quicker you can be. Force production peaks at 50-75% of your 1 rep max.  So, if you have two people deadlifting, lifter A has a 600lbs deadlift and lifter B has a 300lb deadlift.  Who do you think has the capability to have a heavier clean and jerk?

 Like Powerlifting, Weightlifting is an expression of strength, and because the barbell can be loaded in as little increments as needed you can develop the ability to progressively increase the resistance to match your rate of progression.

 Unlike the Powerlifting, a Snatch or Clean and Jerk is done within 1/5th the time a heavy Deadlift. In Weightlifting to express one’s strength quickly and effectively there is a much higher technique development requirement than powerlifting.

In Weightlifting enough force is applied to the bar making it momentarily weightless. If enough instantaneous power is produced this will allow the lifter space to pull or press themselves under the barbell to secure it either overhead or in the front rack position. It is this manipulation allows us to train the quality of power that gives someone more potential at their sport.