Power Clean & Deadlift Form Check please

raptorjesus29

Green Belt
@Green
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
1,273
Reaction score
0
So I have messed around with the clean in the past, I am starting light and am trying to get my form set before adding weight. I can see that I am jumping a bit backwards which I need to fix. I set the bar over the point where my toes meet my foot as I read on Dan Johns page and there was a bit of space between the bar and my shins during the 1st pull.



I have not deadlifted in 2 months trying to heal an injury. My set up here is Rip style, bar over mid foot, pulled into the shins.


Thanks for helping me out! You guys are the best!
 
There are a few things that could be done better but it's quite difficult to give quality input from this camera angle. If you are the center of the clock and can set the camera at 10AM or 2PM that would make it much easier to give useful input.

The issues you are having have very common root causes but I'd rather get a good look at it before giving you useless input.
 
There are a few things that could be done better but it's quite difficult to give quality input from this camera angle. If you are the center of the clock and can set the camera at 10AM or 2PM that would make it much easier to give useful input.

The issues you are having have very common root causes but I'd rather get a good look at it before giving you useless input.

ok, I will see if I can lift tomorrow and give you a better angle. But be warned, the weight on the bar will make me seem like even more of a pussy.
 
The deadlifts looked fine. The weight looked easy so I would recommend trying to pull it with more speed. Or increasing the weight obviously.
 
The deadlifts looked fine. The weight looked easy so I would recommend trying to pull it with more speed. Or increasing the weight obviously.
yeah this was actually not my work set, I added twenty pounds. But I am starting light and trying to progress by 10/lbs per week, then 5 when that stalls.
 
ok so yesterday before BJJ I went to the gym and filmed these at hopefully a better angle. Obviously the weight is low because I am still a little sore and about to grapple.

Powerclean:


Deadlift:

Thanks for the advice
 
It would appear that you are attempting to extend your hips but when that signal is received by your body it's translating it in the wrong way and too late.
Basically you upright row the bar and then jump backwards. However the fact that you are even attempting to extend the hips is a good thing! So have faith.

You don't seem to have any real discomfort in the racked position so this makes things a lot easier.

The go-to right now is to watch a solid clean progression video and adapt that into your training. This is one of my favorites:



It's good for beginners especially because you can incorporate it at very, very light weight. Start doing sweep+sweep+high pull complexes as part of your GP warm up and record them. Then post them up.
 
It would appear that you are attempting to extend your hips but when that signal is received by your body it's translating it in the wrong way and too late.
Basically you upright row the bar and then jump backwards. However the fact that you are even attempting to extend the hips is a good thing! So have faith.

You don't seem to have any real discomfort in the racked position so this makes things a lot easier.

The go-to right now is to watch a solid clean progression video and adapt that into your training. This is one of my favorites:



It's good for beginners especially because you can incorporate it at very, very light weight. Start doing sweep+sweep+high pull complexes as part of your GP warm up and record them. Then post them up.


Definitely keeping this video handy! Thanks Legio!
 
It's good for beginners especially because you can incorporate it at very, very light weight. Start doing sweep+sweep+high pull complexes as part of your GP warm up and record them. Then post them up.

Shit has been crazy with school so I haven't tried this yet. I am going to try this out tonight before bjj. I feel really shitty about upright rowing the weight though, I was trying really hard not to do that. Hopefully this helps.
 
My low back was really fatigued for some reason and tighter than a virgin by the end of the last set. For some reason youtube is taking forever to upload videos. Here are the first two. I really tried to focus on hip extension. I will post the other two as soon as they upload.

[YT]5gNnTkxqu5Y[/YT]

[YT]DNvAcQeLqOM[/YT]

edit. here are the other two videos. the last one is my work set. I took breaks because my low back was
really fatigued.

[YT]W3Mb78ddEmA[/YT]
[YT]m4ZBC48i7wI[/YT]
 
Last edited:
Your focusing too much on jumping, when you should be focusing on "triple extension" and getting a good second pull. Legio already has you on the right track, though.

The only thing i might add is work on internal rotation of the shoulders and make sure you practice with lighter weight. Weightlifting is a skill and believe it or not, in the beginning, you'll add more weight to your 1rm by mastering the mechanics of the clean, as opposed to going heavy all the time.
 
Your focusing too much on jumping, when you should be focusing on "triple extension" and getting a good second pull.

Legio already has you on the right track, though.

Ok. I tried to drive through the heels for the 1st pull like the video said, and for the 2nd pull I mainly tried to extend my hips by squeezing my glutes hard. So what else, other than the hip extension (assuming I am not screwing that up, which is probably the case) should I focus on. Should I be faster?
 
Ok. I tried to drive through the heels for the 1st pull like the video said, and for the 2nd pull I mainly tried to extend my hips by squeezing my glutes hard. So what else, other than the hip extension (assuming I am not screwing that up, which is probably the case) should I focus on. Should I be faster?

Powerclean:


[YT]m4ZBC48i7wI[/YT]

Your timing is just off on the second pull, that's why it kinda looks like an upright row. The second video looks better. I would also recommend a wider grip when racking the weight. For one, you should be racking the weight on your shoulders, not on your hands, on your shoulders. Second, so if you were to go into a jerk you would have a better overhead position.

Weightlifting is very much about timing, so just practice with a weight that is just heavy enough for you to give a good pull, without having to worry about hitting yourself in the mouth, lol.
 
Your timing is just off on the second pull, that's why it kinda looks like an upright row. The second video looks better. I would also recommend a wider grip when racking the weight. For one, you should be racking the weight on your shoulders, not on your hands, on your shoulders. Second, so if you were to go into a jerk you would have a better overhead position.

Weightlifting is very much about timing, so just practice with a weight that is just heavy enough for you to give a good pull, without having to worry about hitting yourself in the mouth, lol.

Yeah I widened my grip a bit and I liked it, I will try opening it up some more. Looking back on it, you are absolutely right about the timing. I gotta work on it a lot.
 
Well you don't look like a polar bear wearing skates trying to do a figure eight while jacking off in boxing gloves. Which is better than most the first time they try power cleans. :) High fives all around.

When you do your sweep in the progression you are treating it like a deadlift. The sweep and pull are simply parts of the whole movement. When one is performed it should look as close to an exact replica of that part of the full lift as is possible. Obviously, not right out of the gate. It generally takes... a few hundred reps for these things to click.

Open your stance ever so slightly as well as your grip.
Also, sit your ass down a bit more in your set position. Consistency in set up. Doesn't matter if it's 40kg on the bar or 200kg your approach and set up should be consistent.

As soon as you initiate the pull your knees are going back and you need to be actively sweeping that bar in towards the body. Hence the sweep drill. The bar is not moving in a straight line. When the pull begins the bar should immediately be moving from over your big toe joint towards the hips.

When you're doing the sweep/sweep/pull drill try to keep contact with the bar throughout. Don't overthink things but be aware of what you're doing.

Once you've extended the hip you need to get right back on the heels. You're moving back and even in a bit(your feet, I mean). Widening your set position could help this but the biggest thing is actively getting back on your heels as soon as you have transferred force to the bar. Punch the hips, pull yourself back onto your heels.

It will suck for a while but if you want to get proficient at it you simply have to get the reps in and try to make every one better than the last.

Are you sure there isn't a decent Olympic gym near you?? They hide out well.
 
When you do your sweep in the progression you are treating it like a deadlift. The sweep and pull are simply parts of the whole movement. When one is performed it should look as close to an exact replica of that part of the full lift as is possible. Obviously, not right out of the gate. It generally takes... a few hundred reps for these things to click.

Open your stance ever so slightly as well as your grip.
Also, sit your ass down a bit more in your set position. Consistency in set up. Doesn't matter if it's 40kg on the bar or 200kg your approach and set up should be consistent.

As soon as you initiate the pull your knees are going back and you need to be actively sweeping that bar in towards the body. Hence the sweep drill. The bar is not moving in a straight line. When the pull begins the bar should immediately be moving from over your big toe joint towards the hips.

When you're doing the sweep/sweep/pull drill try to keep contact with the bar throughout. Don't overthink things but be aware of what you're doing.

Once you've extended the hip you need to get right back on the heels. You're moving back and even in a bit(your feet, I mean). Widening your set position could help this but the biggest thing is actively getting back on your heels as soon as you have transferred force to the bar. Punch the hips, pull yourself back onto your heels.

It will suck for a while but if you want to get proficient at it you simply have to get the reps in and try to make every one better than the last.

Are you sure there isn't a decent Olympic gym near you?? They hide out well.
Ok I will mess around with these tips next time I lift.

ok so I checked the usa weightlifting site and there is one guy in nashville who is listed. He apparently operates out of a YMCA. I called him up and he and I guess some other people meet MWF at 6:30am. So I'm gonna go check it out before class on Friday. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it. I may post a vid of my updated form next week.
 
Back
Top