The poll above will give some insight as to what style of training 70′s Big readers are distributed into. Weightlifters will be particularly interested in today’s topic while non-weightlifters will think it’s irrelevant, moot, or not understand it. I hope that the short analysis and discussion will spark some conversation related to mechanics as well as help the non-weightlifting crowd understand why the discussion exists.

Background
In a snatch or a clean, the barbell is pulled from the floor and moved upward because of the symphony of explosion from the knees and hips. The movements are more sensitive to technical changes that affect the mechanics, more so than strength lifts like the deadlift or press. This doesn’t mean weightlifting is on a pedestal with respect to powerlifting, it just means it’s very different. As with most sports, technique has evolved over time to improve efficiency, and this is evidenced by the progressive increase of world records over time (link shows WR total in “heavyweight” category 1972 to present).


The United States is so large and weightlifting is such a relatively small sport here that there is not a solidified way to teach mechanics. One would assume that the governing body, USA Weightlifting, would dictate the style of teaching, coaching, programming, and mechanics, but in practice this isn’t the case. Other countries that are successful in weightlifting will have a given system that they utilize, and discrepancies are either invalidated with research or results. Some systems of coaching or programming that come to mind are Bulgarian, Russian, and Chinese.


It’s well known that the U.S. does not perform well at the international level in weightlifting, and it’s fair to look at and discuss mechanics to gauge how they effect our success. If anything, it can help clarify what foreign resources say (i.e. Russian translations) to improve our understanding and efficacy.

Right now there has been discussion that pits two pulling methods against each other: the “jump and shrug” and the “catapult”. Succinctly, “jump and shrug” focuses on jumping or pulling the bar as high as possible while “catapult” (a misleading name, in my opinion) focuses on extension and a vigorous drop into the receiving position.


“Jump and Shrug”
This method is not a terrible point of emphasis, especially with beginners, yet it’s focus will limit intermediate to advanced level lifters — especially when the barbell weight significantly exceeds body weight. Jacob Tsypkin alluded to the fact that in the early weightlifting days, the bar wasn’t allowed to touch any part of the lifter’s body. As a result, the bar would need to be jumped as high as possible without contacting the body, and this is essentially the “jump and shrug” method. It would make sense if this lifting style developed from those rules constraints.


This method obviously puts an emphasis on jumping the bar as high as possible with the optional method of cuing a shrug at the top to help the upward momentum of the bar. I think that this “jump” (and not shrugging) mentality is very useful for teaching two populations: beginners and non-weightlifting athletes.

A trainee who has never lifted before will need to learn that snatching or cleaning is accomplished because the hips and legs make it so. Focusing on jumping the bar can help develop power ability, and one argument is that it could be a precursor to shifting into more advanced methods of weightlifting. If a trainee was going to have an emphasis on “jumping the bar” as high as possible, I think that they should only have this emphasis for one to six months. The first month could even be devoted to the power versions of the lifts. This methodology is viewed by advanced weightlifting coaches as counter productive since getting under the bar is difficult to teach to someone with a habit of trying to jump as high as possible (reference Travis Cooper’s experience in this thread). My question to the rabbling quorum is: do you think that a period of time no longer than six months of a “jumping” emphasis is helpful or harmful to long term weightlifting skill?


As for non-weightlifting athletes, their purpose of using variations of the Olympic lifts in their training is to have a loaded, explosive hip extension. I see a benefit in having an emphasis of jumping the bar in a power clean or power snatch for, say, a football player or soldier. The “extend and drop” emphasis (explained below) would detract from their goal in using the movement as it has a focus on only pulling as much as you need to in order to fully drop under the bar. In contrast, the “jump” method would put the emphasis on pulling the bar as high as possible, which would be what I want in trying to develop the hip extension capability of a non-weightlifter. Rabbling quorum: do you agree or disagree with this sentiment?


“Catapult” or “Extend and Drop”
I admittedly have not ever talked with Don McCauley or seen his video explanations, so my analysis and viewpoints are limited in this discussion. I have talked with Pendlay about various mechanical topics as well as athletes and coaches who have learned from Pendlay and can typically learn and implement coaching/mechanics/programming topics pretty quickly, but bare with me if I explain something incorrectly. Remember that I’m trying to reach out to summarize for weightlifters and non-weightlifters.


I don’t like the term “catapult” as it implies that the contact of the bar with hips applies upward force on the bar. I think it’s because I saw someone using the term “boost” on GoHeavy.com — it bothered me a lot. In any case, I think it would be descriptive to readers to think of this as the “extend and drop”. This method requires much more attention to detail because it’s usually associated with a lifter handling large weights — significantly higher than their body weight. Mechanics will differ and change when the implement in a lifter’s hands weighs twice as much as they do. When squatting at least double body weight, if the bar moves forward or back one inch, the mechanical disadvantage is exponentially greater than if that error occurred with a much lighter weight. Now imagine that same sensitivity to mechanics but in a dynamic movement like the snatch or clean. Things get…difficult.


The basic premise of “extend and drop” would be to have an appropriate amount of “pull” — one that isn’t too little or too much — so that it times up perfectly with the vigorous and violent dropping of the athlete to get under the bar. A Pendlay forum user posted a link to this beautiful lift of Blagoy Blagoev snatching 195kg at 90kg, an incredible feat.


You can observe Oleg Perepetchenov in this post on the Pendlay forum exhibiting near perfect technique by getting to an extended hip position and not wasting any time before dropping (pictures below).





This is the epitome of efficiency, and this is what “extend and drop” teaches. I brainstormed some notes to help some of you see the specifics in how this method differentiates than the “jump” method or what you’ve been taught before.

Tspykin thought this clarifying bit of information would help understanding for the subsequent analysis:

In the execution of the “catapult,” or “extend and drop” method, there are three positions we are concerned with:


Position 1: Bar at high hang, sitting in the crease of the hip, with the shoulders back, hips over heels, knees slightly bent, and weight in heels. When moving into this position from the top, only the knees should break – if the bar slides down the thigh instead of staying in the crease of the hip, the lifter is flexing at the hip too much.


Position 2: Bar just below knee. At this position, the shoulders should be further ahead of the bar than at any other point in the lift. Three cues to check: heels (is the weight in the lifters heels,) knees (are the knees back and hamstrings stretched,) chest (is the chest over the bar and the back extended hard.


Position 3: The start position – not necessarily the lifters “set-up,” but specifically the position the lifter is in at the moment the bar is separated from the floor. The weight will be slightly towards the forefoot, the hips will be low, knees well ahead of the bar, and shoulders slightly ahead of the bar (though some of the best lifters actually start with the shoulders behind the bar, and their ability to pull like this may contribute to their superiority.)

Throughout the first phase of the pull off the ground, the balance of weight will be closer to the forefoot, but as the bar approaches the knees there is an emphasis in putting the weight in the heels. This not only effectively distributes the force application through musculature of the legs and hips, but it also is a preventative measure to prevent the weight from shifting forward (particularly when the barbell weighs significantly more than the lifter). Right before the second pull, or the violent hip extension, the weight will remain in the heels and the shoulders will be out over the bar; this effectively stretches the hamstrings. This position may have even been achieved as a result of the torso bowing forward (due to a more vertical starting position). This bowing would provide a subtle stretching of the hamstrings that would amplify their subsequent contraction that is about to occur (e.g. “stretch reflex”). Once the hip extension begins, the knees will rebend, which stretches the quadriceps and facilitates their immediate contraction to extend the knee that aids the “second pull” or explosive upward movement.


Again, the emphasis of keeping the weight in the heels and to “finish in the heels” will ensure that the correct muscular distribution is utilized for the force application (meaning that the stuff in the previous paragraph is happening in symphony instead of moving into a bad position). The “heels” emphasis will also avoid the lifter from “floating” or spending a superfluous amount of time at the apex of their pull (i.e. it prevents the lifter from getting airborne due to the violent extension). Over time the lifter will learn what amount of pull is required to not “over-pull” to avoid the “floating” problem. Lastly, the heels cue will facilitate a quick drop in to a squat position. “Heels” is a good cue for vertical-torso squatting styles; in this case the clean (front squat) and snatch (overhead squat) recovery. Since heels has been emphasized throughout the movement, there doesn’t have to be significant re-positioning of the feet as the lifter violently and quickly drops under the weight (with the assist of pulling themselves under the bar against the upward momentum).


The result is a beautifully efficient movement that we see above with Oleg and Blagoy. One thing that I left out (for simplicity) was the emphasis on “keeping the hands back” throughout the pull. Tsypkin pointed out that when Pendlay has his lifters pull off of blocks, they also initiate that movement with “push through the thighs” and “push bar back” (Pendlay can clarify the wording if need be). The emphasis on keeping the bar back is especially relevant when the weight is significantly greater than body weight because of mechanical efficiency. If ignorance or laziness allowed the bar to shift forward an inch during the movement, it would create or exacerbate any lever arms and make the rest of the lift (and positions throughout) more difficult.


Summary
The “jump” method is a rudimentary method of lifting that is easy to teach and is useful for power development in non-weightlifters. It’s quite clear that “extend and drop” is necessary for high level lifters lifting significant amounts of weight; the greater the weight, the greater the demand for supreme efficiency. The “jump” method is easy to teach to a beginner and can help develop their power, but is it debilitating to perfecting the “extend and drop” later? How would you “extend and drop” coaches develop the ‘hip extension power’ of an athlete who doesn’t inherently do it well from the start?


Note: Corrections will be made if needed.

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Keeping a training log is incredibly important for all athletes, but especially for a strength trainee. Athletes and bodybuilders need to record their progress, yet athletes often do what they’re told and bodybuilders run a style of programming for a while and gauge progress by pictures. But for the strength trainee, numbers mean everything. If you lift more this week than you did a year ago, then you are obviously stronger. A training log easily quantifies progress and removes speculation and confusion. If you don’t keep a training log, then this post should convince you to do so. If you already keep one, this post may give you some additional variables to record or some ideas on how to organize the log itself.

What To Use
Any notebook will do, but notebooks without spirals will hold together. Composition books works really well, but they can still fall apart. Use duct or electrical tape to hold them together over the years and avoid turning the covers inside out. Chris has been using the same spiral notebook for several years, and it looks like he’s had it since fifth grade. The front cover is completely ripped off, but he keeps it on top as if it were still attached. The papers are loose, but some how he keeps it together enough where he can reference his training sessions (I’ve requested a picture). I don’t recommend this. Below are two types of notebooks that will hold up better:



The one on the left is a standard composition book, but with a leathery cover. The one on the right is a military field notebook; it was free and the cover is hard back and will hold up for a while. You can use whatever you want to, but I suggest picking something that will hold up for at least two years. My composition notebook above was used for at least 2.5 years.

CONTINUE READING Read more »

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Why do you train? Do you want to get stronger? Faster? Fit or healthy? Do you aim to compete in a particular sport like powerlifting, weightlifting, or catfish noodling? Wanting to get jehcked is good. Striving to get better in a sport is good. But, I ask you…what is best in life?





So true. Let me ask you another question. When you step into the gym each training session, are you seething? Are you rabid? Are you shaking with hatred, wanting to kick the SHIT out of somebody or some…thing? No, you will never tap into your full power, young padawan. To develop your full destructive capabilities, you must know hate.


If your mom told you that you weren’t supposed to hate, it shouldn’t be hard to remember that your mom doesn’t deadlift 500 pounds. Your preacher can’t press 225 and your grandma can’t squat herself off the toilet. This isn’t a game. This is competition.


My friend Brent has used this mentality ever since I’ve known him. His unassuming method is to observe all kinds of lifters, coaches, and trainees on the internet. Inevitably there will be a good chunk of them who act like dickheads. They may even be stronger than him. And if they are, then beware. Brent’s hatred runs deep, right into the marrow of his bones. Instead of aiming vitriol at his targets, he files it in his brain’s Hate File. The Hate File is a rolodex of names, faces, videos, and…targets. I’ve learned that Brent will sit seemingly calm waiting for his next rep in training. But what’s going on is a whirlwind of accusations and speculation that results in a furious attempt.


So-and-so doesn’t think I’m an athlete.
Fuck-face is squatting more than this right now.
Piece-of-shit is totalling 90% of me…I need to do much more…to EMBARRASS HIM.


Brent not only wants to be better than those he hates, he wants to annihilate them. But he’s not in a hurry. He knows that for some of his tangos, it will take time. And that’s why he places their file gently in his mind, thumbing it every so often to give himself a paper cut that reminds himself why he trains his dick off every day.


This. This is only one way to create Antagonistic Motivation. Strife, anger, and — god forbid — challenge are avoided in today’s society. What enemy can you find or create to challenge you to be better? When I was in high school, my early methods of spiking adrenaline consisted of imagining that a fullback was coming to block me in an iso. An “iso” is a football term for when the full back runs directly at the linebacker (me) to block him with the running back directly behind him. It’s a play dependent on the guts of the fullback and linebacker; who will deliver the bigger hit? Who will blow the other person up to make a play. I would think about this direct challenge to my honor right before squatting. I would routinely squat 425 to 445 for sets of five…beltless and in running shoes.


Is there a specific person or competitor that you will face in the future? Is there a hypothetical fiend on the enemy team who is aiming to make you fail? There is a quote that has percolated around the Special Operations community that reminds trainees of their true threat:

Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do – his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about ‘how hard it is;’ he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn’t go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.


Still want to quit?

If you can’t bring yourself to hate, then personify the reason you should be training. In this case, a failure to put full effort into training can result in death, dismemberment, or torture in not only one’s self, but friends. There is no higher antagonistic motivation than knowing that your success effects the lives of other people.


Observe these strategies of Antagonistic Motivation and force a bout of introspection to figure out what you can put yourself against. You’re a desk jockey with no real life threatening challenge? Put yourself in situations of challenge. Aim to medal in your weight class at your next meet. Every day when you walk in the gym, think about how the guys in your weight class are training just as hard, if not harder than you. While they may be at a higher or lower level than you, you ignore those excuses. Instead, focus on your opponent, your challenger…your enemy. Will you let him train harder than you today? Will you let him beat you? You better fucking not.

45 Comments

Here are a few push-up cues to use. Push-ups are important for females because they can significantly enhance the strength of the related musculature (anterior shoulder — delts/pecs — and triceps) which will augment the press and bench. They have more of an effect on girls within their first year or so of training, on taller or long-limbed girls, or girls with a weak upper body. Push-ups, of course, would be used in conjunction with strength training movements like the press, bench, and push-press (dips too, but if the push-ups aren’t great, chances are the dips aren’t possible).





Primary passive/positional cues:
- First finger at 11 & 1
- Hands flat
- Chest up


Primary active cues:
- “Elbows over wrists”
or
- “Elbows to ribs”

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I hope everyone had a good week. It’s PR Friday so share your training PR’s or updates. This weekend also includes two of the last three relevant football games of the football year, so feel free to discuss (Justin Smith ftw).

Operation Shankle
Don’t forget that Donny Shankle will be making a real shot at making the Olympic team. My friend Jacob Tsypikup had the following to say about Donny: “I can say that he is a tremendous person to be around: a former Marine and veteran of the Iraq war, a fierce competitor, and inspirational merely through presence.” Donny has made countless sacrifices in order to be a weightlifter in the past ten years, and recently he’s even moved in with his coach Glenn Pendlay to save even more money. If you have a few doll hairs to spare, donate them to Donny; I know he will appreciate the support very much and make us proud.
Donate to Shankle
Shankle’s Website (store with products included)

The Arnold Sport Festival
I think that ‘the Arnold’ will be a really cool experience since it’s a celebration of competitive events. This will be the first “70′s Big Meet Up” that isn’t a workshop, so I suggest you attend. Mike and Chris will be competing in the raw powerlifting event, I’ll be going, and Brent will be going. It’s also where this year’s senior nationals are for USA Weightlifting, and Donny Shankle will be trying to make the Olympics (which will be very fun to watch). There’s also all kinds of cool shit like strongman events and a pro deadlift challenge (which will also be neat as shit). Plus at least 20 other sporting events and that doesn’t even consider the expo itself (where tons of “fitness” or sport celebrities will be present) and the second biggest bodybuilding show of the year.

If you’re concerned about the cost of travel or hotels, then use the comments to see if anyone else near you is interested in going. We can help each other car pool or share hotel rooms and we can meet at certain events, restaurants, and bars. It will be tons of fun — I guarantee it. Because if it isn’t, I’ll make it fun by asking Derrick Poundstone what color his undies are.

Follow the jump for the Q&A. Read more »

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