all posts post new thread

Barbell Form critique Oly lifting

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
I always like it when people post a follow-up form check after months of working on a skill or lift.

So, 9 months after starting this thread, here's another check-in, some lifts from today's session.

Upward increase is slow at 53 yrs old, but I've got a great coach and I'm happy with progress. The weights I'm working with haven't changed that much, but I'm much more solid and consistent, can do these weights for many reps in a session instead of just a 1RM, and have improved quite a few form issues. Still many more to go.

Form critiques or comments welcome as always.



 
First, sweet lifting platform set up in your house.

Those looked really good. If I were to be real picky here's what I would say:

Snatch: On your second rep you could have had your shoulders stay over the bar a tiny bit longer. Also, pinching your shoulder blades together in the bottom of the overhead squat might give you a bit more stability and allow your torso to lean forward a bit more, which will come in handy when the bar gets heavier.

Clean looked good.

Jerk: When the bar reached the overhead it dropped back down ever so slightly and then you were able to push it back up. I very picky referee would have red-lighted you for that.
 
First, sweet lifting platform set up in your house.

Those looked really good. If I were to be real picky here's what I would say:

Snatch: On your second rep you could have had your shoulders stay over the bar a tiny bit longer. Also, pinching your shoulder blades together in the bottom of the overhead squat might give you a bit more stability and allow your torso to lean forward a bit more, which will come in handy when the bar gets heavier.

Clean looked good.

Jerk: When the bar reached the overhead it dropped back down ever so slightly and then you were able to push it back up. I very picky referee would have red-lighted you for that.
Thank you, yes 2020 was the year to invest in the home gym. I'm grateful to have it!

You are right on the snatch, as Randy says the same thing. I need to stay over the bar a bit longer to finish the first pull, then transition quickly to power position. I find that to be a hard thing to focus on, as it's right in the middle of the fast movement and there's so much else going on. Maybe I can do that better with that now that a lot of other things are more solid. Also I think I can do a better job with warm-up movements to emphasize those positions.

I like the pinching the shoulder blades together idea, though I get confused as to whether I should be trying to lean over more, or be more upright.

Jerks are my nemesis... I still feel like a beginner with them. I can practically press what I can solidly jerk. Lately the work has been keeping the weight on the heels and not moving forward on the drive. Finally improving a bit. Aha, yes, I do see that downward bar movement, now that you point it out. What's the fix for that -- just a really solid lockout and pushing up on the bar?

Thanks for taking a look!
 
I can practically press what I can solidly jerk.
I have the same problem. I'm guessing that you have a strong overhead press. I have a decent overhead press. What happens is that strong pressers tend to use their arms rather than really focusing on leg drive.

What's the fix for that -- just a really solid lockout and pushing up on the bar?
A good video on stability overhead in the jerk, but I want to highlight this point in the video. Notice how in the overhead position Apti pinches his shoulder blades together just like in the bottom of the OH squat. I recently learned this myself.



If that doesn't solve it then strengthening the triceps may help.
 
Snatch practice today.. I think I have made some improvements in consistency, speed getting under the bar, and overhead stability.

Any comments welcome... I'm just happy I'm able to stay with the process and keep getting better at this. Still much more yet to go.

 
Reporting back to this thread which shows my weightlifting progress over the past year and a half.

These are snatches at 40 kg from yesterday's practice; third set of 40 kg x 3. Comments and critiques welcome as always...

I still have many improvements to make, but I can see I've come a long way with technique, stability, consistency, power, positional strength... One thing I think this helps to demonstrate is how much we can all improve through consistent practice, whether it's barbell, kettlebell, or anything else. My kettlebell practice over the years has definitely paved the way for being able to do effective weightlifting training basically all at home alone over this past year and a half. Who would have thought that was possible? Credit of course to my coach @randyh, who I found through this thread! We do remote coaching through TrueCoach, so other than one in-person coaching session a year ago, all my training is here in my home gym.

 
@Anna C - looks really good! Really nice extension at the top! Only thing I can't quite tell - are you taking the slack out first? I think I hear that click after you've started pulling, which to me would suggest you could get tight against the bar first before you start the pull. I imagine a real coach would see what I'm talking about, and if he thought it mattered he'd mention it.
 
@Anna C - looks really good! Really nice extension at the top! Only thing I can't quite tell - are you taking the slack out first? I think I hear that click after you've started pulling, which to me would suggest you could get tight against the bar first before you start the pull. I imagine a real coach would see what I'm talking about, and if he thought it mattered he'd mention it.

Good question. I did learn to do that with deadlifts, but I don't really do it with Olympic lifts or variations. Except for heavy clean pulls from blocks -- with these it's important to accelerate fast and hard and you have to be careful not to yank the bar up. So getting tight with all the slack out helps a lot there. Seems like a good addition for all the lifts and variations! I'll try doing that specifically and see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the idea.
 
@Anna C -

Looking solid! Much better than a couple of months ago.

I agree w/ @Coyotl here.

Also, it looks like you could get your back A LOT tighter before your pull. What are you feeling in that position?

Keep the great work!

Thank you @Geoff Neupert!

I feel like I'm getting tight. But as StrongFirst always teaches, you can always get a LOT tighter, right? I will try. I think part of what I'm missing is the shoulders and lats really pulling in tight. I'm currently in PT working on increasing strength in the rotator cuff. Left side has been problematic lately. So hopefully that will increase that solid connection.
 
@Coyote @Geoff Neupert

Low block snatches from today... a good time to practice getting tight before when you don't have the full ROM to generate acceleration.

Would you say it looks any better in that regard?

 
@Anna C - I think your first one you definitely take more slack out than you were, and your second one looked good to me too. I think your third looked a little rushed - I'm not saying you didn't do it, but my eye may not be fast enough to catch it. With the caveat that I am not a weightlifting coach and I was never terribly good at weightlifting, one thing that I was told to do to prevent me from rushing off the floor was to pause after it broke off the floor, and then complete the lift. For me, the sequence went wedge into the bar - break off floor - pause - pull. In this case, pulling from blocks, that pause would be below the knee.

It might be hard for you to wedge into the bar because it looks fairly light relative to your strength, and often when the weight was light enough just wedging into the bar caused the bar to float off the floor (but that might just be my leverages). (I use the idea of taking slack out and wedging into the bar interchangeably, and wedging into it is a better "cue" for me.)
 
@Anna C - I think your first one you definitely take more slack out than you were, and your second one looked good to me too. I think your third looked a little rushed - I'm not saying you didn't do it, but my eye may not be fast enough to catch it. With the caveat that I am not a weightlifting coach and I was never terribly good at weightlifting, one thing that I was told to do to prevent me from rushing off the floor was to pause after it broke off the floor, and then complete the lift. For me, the sequence went wedge into the bar - break off floor - pause - pull. In this case, pulling from blocks, that pause would be below the knee.

It might be hard for you to wedge into the bar because it looks fairly light relative to your strength, and often when the weight was light enough just wedging into the bar caused the bar to float off the floor (but that might just be my leverages). (I use the idea of taking slack out and wedging into the bar interchangeably, and wedging into it is a better "cue" for me.)

Interesting I never thought of wedging with weightlifting. I went from deadlifting 320 lbs (1RM, where I definitely used those cues) to struggling to break 77 lbs (35 kg) off the ground with good snatch pull form. Posture and technique has been the far bigger challenge than strength. But I suppose some of those cues can be brought back in to good effect.

I might try that pause just after breaking off the floor... good idea.
 
I implemented the "get tight and pull the slack out of the bar" addition for cleans today. Definitely helped!

 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom