Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 Hobman wrote... <<Wouldn't I be better off simply doing high pulls instead of power cleans?>> If your technique is horribly crappy you may be better off with just pulls, but as Kim Goss commented a few days ago " How do you miss a pull? " I know exactly what Kim was talking about. If all you do are pulls, you never " really " know how well you're performing. With the real thing (clean or power clean) you know you know exactly how well you're performing. Pulls are good and IMO worth doing as a SUPPLEMENT to the actual lifts. Why don't you come down to Irvine and I'll have you cleaning and power cleaning like Dimas Burkhardt Strength and Conditioning Coach UC Irvine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 wrote, > ><<Wouldn't I be better off simply doing high pulls instead of power >cleans?>> > >If your technique is horribly crappy you may be better off with just pulls, >but as Kim Goss commented a few days ago " How do you miss a pull? " I know >exactly what Kim was talking about. If all you do are pulls, you never > " really " know how well you're performing. With the real thing (clean or >power clean) you know you know exactly how well you're performing. Pulls >are good and IMO worth doing as a SUPPLEMENT to the actual lifts. Why don't >you come down to Irvine and I'll have you cleaning and power cleaning like >Dimas LOL! Uh-huh. Mel also offered some advice. Both are great, but lets start with the basics. How do you get that bar racked on your shoulders and still keep your hands on it? How do you build up flexibility? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 Hobman wrote... <<LOL! Uh-huh. Mel also offered some advice. Both are great, but lets start with the basics. How do you get that bar racked on your shoulders and still keep your hands on it? How do you build up flexibility?>> Yes this is a problem I see occasionally in my athletes - got a kid like that right now as a matter of fact. I usually tell them that the " rack " is not going to be comfortable at first and requires about a 2 week " adaptive " period. The occasional athlete with more of a pronounced problem will require longer. IMO, the best way to gain the necessary flexibility for racking the clean/power clean is to simply keep doing it. BTW, what are you doing with your hands? Are your fingers TOTALLY relaxed? Where is the bar? I find most lifters do best if the bar is way back in the very tips of the fingers. I find that it's quite common to receive the bar (or do front squats) with only two fingers (index and middle) on the bar. Good luck. Burkhardt Strength and Conditioning Coach UC Irvine P.S. Oh, BTW, how big are your biceps? No I'm not kidding. Racking the bar could be a problem if they're big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 Could take longer than two weeks. However, if receiving the bar can be done with only a couple of fingers I'm in better shape since I can front squat fairly lightly in this way. I feel it in my right wrist if I dn't relax. It ain't the biceps . I'm not small in this area, but I'm certainly not large. I haven't measured in years, but I doubt they are bigger than 17 " . I do no direct work for them, although I'm fairly strong at rows and chins. > >Yes this is a problem I see occasionally in my athletes - got a kid like >that right now as a matter of fact. I usually tell them that the " rack " is >not going to be comfortable at first and requires about a 2 week " adaptive " >period. The occasional athlete with more of a pronounced problem will >require longer. IMO, the best way to gain the necessary flexibility for >racking the clean/power clean is to simply keep doing it. BTW, what are you >doing with your hands? Are your fingers TOTALLY relaxed? Where is the bar? >I find most lifters do best if the bar is way back in the very tips of the >fingers. I find that it's quite common to receive the bar (or do front >squats) with only two fingers (index and middle) on the bar. Good luck. > > Burkhardt >Strength and Conditioning Coach >UC Irvine > >P.S. Oh, BTW, how big are your biceps? No I'm not kidding. Racking the >bar could be a problem if they're big. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 To see how well you are pulling, get Tommy Kono's book and he can tell how to set up a simple apparatus to check it out. T. Herrick,MD FAAOS,FAOSSM,FACSM,FACS,FICS herrickclinic@... www.herrickclinic.com Herrick Orthopaedic Clinic 2000 Waverly Parkway PO Box 4160 Opelika,AL 36803-4160 USA RE: Ban the Power Clean? > Hobman wrote... > > <<Wouldn't I be better off simply doing high pulls instead of power > cleans?>> > > If your technique is horribly crappy you may be better off with just pulls, > but as Kim Goss commented a few days ago " How do you miss a pull? " I know > exactly what Kim was talking about. If all you do are pulls, you never > " really " know how well you're performing. With the real thing (clean or > power clean) you know you know exactly how well you're performing. Pulls > are good and IMO worth doing as a SUPPLEMENT to the actual lifts. Why don't > you come down to Irvine and I'll have you cleaning and power cleaning like > Dimas > > Burkhardt > Strength and Conditioning Coach > UC Irvine > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2000 Report Share Posted December 18, 2000 ----- Original Message ----- From: Hobman <khobman@...> > Could take longer than two weeks. However, if receiving the bar > can be done with only a couple of fingers I'm in better shape since I can front squat fairly lightly in this way. I feel it in my right wrist if I dn't relax. It ain't the biceps . I'm not small in this area, but I'm certainly not large. I haven't measured in years, but I doubt they are bigger than 17 " . I do no direct work for them, although I'm fairly strong at rows and chins.> I've been watching the Ironmind tapes from the 1997 World Weightlifting Championships in Thailand and Pablo Lara of Cuba front squats this way. He unracks the bar with all fingers on it, then lets his ring and pinkie fingers slide off. Lara also walks forward out of the squat racks as opposed to backwards. For those who don't know, Lara is considered to have one of the best jerks in the world (and he's has a pretty decent clean to go with it). Another thing to remember is not to let go of the bar until you are under it and it is almost on your shoulders. Once finished the top pull, continue to pull yourself under the bar (even for power cleans) and keep you grip closed until you rack it. Doing this will allow you to meet the bar properly as opposed to letting it crash on you. Nikolai Peshalov (Croatia) is a great example of how to do this. If your really into pain you can have someone push your elbows up while your holding a front squat, or do overhead presses with the bar resting on your fingers and not the palm of your hand. Loren Chiu Graduate Assistant Exercise Biochemistry Laboratory Human Performance Laboratories The University of Memphis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2000 Report Share Posted December 19, 2000 Hobman wrote: > > wrote, > > > ><<Wouldn't I be better off simply doing high pulls instead of power > >cleans?>> > > > >If your technique is horribly crappy you may be better off with just pulls, > >but as Kim Goss commented a few days ago " How do you miss a pull? " I know > >exactly what Kim was talking about. If all you do are pulls, you never > > " really " know how well you're performing. With the real thing (clean or > >power clean) you know you know exactly how well you're performing. Pulls > >are good and IMO worth doing as a SUPPLEMENT to the actual lifts. Why don't > >you come down to Irvine and I'll have you cleaning and power cleaning like > >Dimas > > LOL! > > Uh-huh. Mel also offered some advice. Both are great, but lets start with > the basics. How do you get that bar racked on your shoulders and still keep > your hands on it? > > How do you build up flexibility? I had some real problems with the power clean at first. Kim has had me working on them and front squats and my form has improved. I improved my flexibility by doing front squats (low reps with not terribly heavy weight) until I got comfortable with just my fingertips on the bar. With the power clean, that initial pull off the floor is totally different than the normal powerlifting deadlift. Look straight ahead, not up. Keep yourself ahead of the bar, pull it slowly off the floor and pull it into you. Let the bar touch your thighs before you explode it into position for your shoulders. Move your feet fast. Like I said, though, I'm still a neophyte at this. I occasionally do my powerlifting pull and almost take my head off because I'm looking up and pulling back so that the bar doesn't come straight up. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2000 Report Share Posted December 19, 2000 I would suggest two videos for those that would like to study well executed pulling movements. The first is the companion video to Arthur Drechsler's " Weightlifting Encyclopedia, A Guide To World Class Performance " . Check the web site: www.wlinfo.com The second is the USA Weightlifting Federation video " Pull Motion " . As to racking the bar properly in the clean, I would point out that in a few individuals this is very difficult due the the relative lengths of the lower arm to the upper arm. Another factor that has not been mentioned, is the flexibility of the mid thorasic spine, which affects " racking the bar " with the elbows in the high forward position. Ken Largent, CSCS La Grande, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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