struggling with cleans

[tweakxc03]

Charles:

Attempted cleans again today. I started with lighter weights and focused on the drills you mentioned during the warmup.

For some reason, no matter how light or heavy the weight, I am not getting that hip "pop" in to full extension to finish the 2nd part of the pull. I tried just practicing the hip extension portion of the movement. When I do it seems like it throws the timing off and I actually lose momentum.

I was able to clean 165 today for my 5 sets of 3, but this technique issue isn't going to cut it for long, i imagine.

Any ideas?

[Charles Staley]

Can you show me a video?


Charles:

Attempted cleans again today. I started with lighter weights and focused on the drills you mentioned during the warmup.

For some reason, no matter how light or heavy the weight, I am not getting that hip "pop" in to full extension to finish the 2nd part of the pull. I tried just practicing the hip extension portion of the movement. When I do it seems like it throws the timing off and I actually lose momentum.

I was able to clean 165 today for my 5 sets of 3, but this technique issue isn't going to cut it for long, i imagine.

Any ideas?

[tweakxc03]

bad camera angle (again), but it's the only option. (yes i have shoes ordered and in the mail.)

I know that my arm position is a little iffy on the rack, but i'm not sure how to correct for having such long forearms. each time, the bar was racking on the top of my shoulders, flush with my throat. Still exagerating the "jump"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzR7_JKvIM

thanks!

[msingh]

Charles, the lifter in the video is racking the bar and then rotating his elbows afterwards. Is this a bad thing? Should he lower the weight until he can synchronise the rack with elbow rotation? I ask because I have the same problem. Thanks for your help.

[Charles Staley]

OK look these cleans are better than you're giving yourself credit for. The primary error I see is that you're picking up your feet prematurely- by this I mean prior to you reaching full extension. I'd work on clean pulls to re-groove this. Perform sets of 2 where rep 1 is a clean pull and rep 2 is a clean. You use the pull as a rehearsal for the clean.

I visual that I like people to play with is imagining that there's a button that's 3/4 inch above your head, and the only way you can hit it with the top of your head is if you reach a very full extension. When the top of your head hits the button, it releases a trap door that you happen to be standing on, and you "fall" through the trap door (into the squat).

Try these and see how you do


bad camera angle (again), but it's the only option. (yes i have shoes ordered and in the mail.)

I know that my arm position is a little iffy on the rack, but i'm not sure how to correct for having such long forearms. each time, the bar was racking on the top of my shoulders, flush with my throat. Still exagerating the "jump"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzR7_JKvIM

thanks!

[tweakxc03]

great thanks for the cue, that makes sense. what do you mean by a "clean pull"?

should I keep ramping the weight up, maybe 5 pound increments? i've been going up by 10 pound jumps so far.

[Charles Staley]

I'm not concerned with it at the moment- it's not ideal but it's not the primary issue here


Charles, the lifter in the video is racking the bar and then rotating his elbows afterwards. Is this a bad thing? Should he lower the weight until he can synchronise the rack with elbow rotation? I ask because I have the same problem. Thanks for your help.

[Charles Staley]

Here's a clean pull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JcXw6IlaY (arms stay straight). A Clean pull is the active portion of a clean- everything after that is the "passive" portion.

When you can execute a proper clean pull you're 90% of the way there.

Don't worry about weight- stay in the 160 range until we get this ironed out.


great thanks for the cue, that makes sense. what do you mean by a "clean pull"?

should I keep ramping the weight up, maybe 5 pound increments? i've been going up by 10 pound jumps so far.

[tweakxc03]

gotcha thanks a bunch. I'll work on this next workout.