From check - cleans / deadlift (with video)

[Matt Garman]

I'm working on my cleans now, using Starting Strength as my coach. One thing I'm struggling with is, when cleaning from the floor, having the bar graze my thighs during the second pull.

I have long arms and legs, and a short trunk. In the standing lock-out position (i.e. top of the dead lift), the bar is at mid-thigh for me. When I get into what feels like a natural jump position, the bar is on or even over my knees.

In the video, I do a few hang cleans, then some deadlifts, then attempt to clean from the floor. (All done with an empty bar.) You can see, when I clean from the floor, the bar doesn't touch my thighs.

Here's the video (WFS): raw-sewage.net/digital_coaching/dsc_5104.avi.

Thank you for any hints/thoughts/suggestions,
Matt

[Mark Rippetoe]

Post this video in a format that doesn't take so long to download, and I'll look at it.

[Matt Garman]

Post this video in a format that doesn't take so long to download, and I'll look at it.

Done. The link is the same (http://raw-sewage.net/digital_coaching/dsc_5104.avi) (WFS), but the actual file is 10 MB instead of 70 MB.

I also posted it to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2WIsAYDeU) (WFS), if that's easier.

Same video on both links.

Thanks again!
Matt

[Mark Rippetoe]

When you drop down into your jumping position from the top, you are in the wrong position. Your shoulders are a foot behind the bar because you do not unlock your hips to lower the bar, just your knees. So when you correctly drop down to mid-shins with the bar you have not practiced the top part of the pull correctly. I believe the method in the book works well, and if you do it as detailed there this should not happen. I just helped a guy yesterday that had learned it from the book and he was doing it correctly.

[Matt Garman]

Thank you for the help and advice. I'll continue working on it (and re-read the power clean chapter).

Also: my main concern is avoiding injury. Growing up I was always told to "lift with my legs, not with my back". I have to actively tell myself to unlock my hips, otherwise I naturally avoid that because it feels like I'm "lifting with my back".

Is it fair to say that there's some overlap between the clean and good mornings?

[Mark Rippetoe]

This comes from the standard misunderstanding of the term. Force is generated by the hips and legs and transmitted up the back, across the scapulas, and down the arms to the load. You have no choice in unlocking your hips if you deadlift correctly. But why would the clean have anything more to do with the goodmorning than the deadlift does?

[Matt Garman]

But why would the clean have anything more to do with the goodmorning than the deadlift does?

I guess my question was more of the likes of: is it fair to say that both the clean and deadlift have some overlap with the goodmorning?

In particular, I'm thinking about the area where the bar passes the knees. For me at least, in order for my shoulders to be in front of the bar, while keeping the bar close to my legs---but still being able to clear my knees---I feel like I'm basically in a goodmorning position: knees nearly straight, back close to horizontal, bent considerably at the hip.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sure they overlap. That's why the GM is an assistance exercise for the pulls for the more advanced lifter.