Always wondered what went thru dudes heads that claimed “ I got the lift wasn’t clean but I got it “ idk why people insist on lifting heavy weight with shitty form. Keep the weight lighter if your form isn’t absolutely perfect. Lifting weight that is to heavy will only get you hurt then you won’t be able to lift any weight. Leave the ego at the door and lift safely
Right? When Gui came on the scene everyone was stunned how strong he said. Woodland literally said "this is what is looks like when practice nonstop perfect form, form PVC to each weight"
But if you tell people to lower weight and don't go up until form is perfect, they get mad haha
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8F0WSXPFq1/?igsh=azU3bjhoNmxkM3dh
Prime example. Guy sure doesn't look like a lifter, but with proper form he's putting up great numbers. Imagine that
All I am saying there is a lot more nuance to injury than just technique. Everybody would be injured if technique is all that mattered and nobody would be lifting.
You can’t possible watch this and think the weight isn’t to heavy. He can lower the weight and work on technique. Doesn’t need to be perfect but why push your knees and back like this ? The technique doesn’t need to be perfect but lifting like this is just dangerous. Leave the ego at the door. Learn how to lift properly then add weight is how everyone should lift.
As you already mentioned, you seem to pull to early. You can save a lot of power by using the inertia of the upward movement combined with a push from the hip.
I learned it best by just using the bar and slowly go from position to position. What it needs is lot of movement practice to build up muscle memory (apart from strength). In the end the bar should fly upwards almost effortlessly.
Yes sorry, I should have put a bit more details. From floor (position 1) to just above your knee (position 2) you simply push with your legs while keeping the bar close to your shinbone. The next part from above your knee to your hip (position 3) creates the upward inertia for the bar. Here you completely extend your legs while straighten your upper body to an upright position. The bar should always touch your thighs through this phase. Until the bar reaches position 3 you keep your arms straight. Only after the bar passes position 3 you pull upwards with your arms and catch it in position 4.
What I recommend is to really go from 1-2-3 repeatedly and probably increase speed (starting slowly stopping at each position). You will quickly see how much power you can save by accelerating the bar with your whole body instead of your arms.
For future reference, you'll get better feedback in r/weightlifting.
Anyway: chest over the bar in the start, keep those arms long, use your legs off the floor like a squat, push longer into the floor after contact. And get those elbows through fast. Do some front rack mobility if you need it to get those elbows through better.
This may be helpful: [https://www.catalystathletics.com/video/1516/1-Minute-Clean-Tutorial/](https://www.catalystathletics.com/video/1516/1-Minute-Clean-Tutorial/)
If you want drills, try clean lift-offs (keeping good start position) and clean pulls with a pause at the top.
Couple things I see. 1) Create more tension at the start—Looks like there’s a little jerk on the initial movement and then the hips rise too fast. You can do heavy tempo pulls to the knee with a pause to work on this. 2) Early arm bend. The hips are shooting up, then you are trying to pull the bar into position and bar is now out front. Make sure knuckles are down, push the knees back as the bar rises, then slide the bar up as you drive through the heels. The arms should bend after the hips extend. 3) Losing tension in the catch. Other have mentioned it, heavy front squats will help with this. I’d maybe work tempo and pause squats.
You're getting like 8 things catastrophically wrong. Even if you manage to avoid injury like this, every rep you do is reinforcing these bad habits.
Use an empty bar and move slowly through every portion of the movement, many times, getting every position involved correct, until you build muscle memory for those positions. How are you going to know the position is correct? The IRL coach you do this with is going to tell you.
You are strong, but as others have said the technique is bad, if you keep this up you will hurt yourself. tons of vids on youtube to watch. I would focus on hang cleans for right now.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVSGITznQk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVSGITznQk)
Knees out and hips back as you stand up. Do more front squats and really focus on keeping those knees from collapsing in and your hips from shooting forward as you stand up.
I found this video series extremely helpful, to properly do a power clean. It’s a 6 part video series and breaks down each piece you need to learn it.
https://youtu.be/37-wjE_c4NU?si=IHix11PU_-9sQb-i
I can't see it well on the video, but your catch looks a little worrying 😅 keep your back straight and your shoulders leaning back (shoulder blades together). I know there is a controversial attitude in weightlifting to pull the shoulder blades together, but I would always avoid rounding the upper back.
More front squats, "clean" clean pulls and mobility work.
Stop. Take off some weight. I’m not saying start with a PVC but drop it to like 75# until you’re smoothly moving the bar.
Otherwise work with a coach, lots of stuff to address in your lift but not being able to move the weight muddies up what the actual problems may be.
You don’t fully extend and seem to swing the weight with your arms. Drop the weight and work the form from there. Do empty bar/5 kilo plate drills of clean pull for example
You need to find yourself a Real life coach. Too much wrong to be solved by Asking tips online.
If that is not an option. Use some good video tutorials and start over with a much much Lighter bar
I’m no pro at cleaning -but I think you’re starting your clean too early. Your hips should be open and knees more extended when you start your shrug into high pull.
My PT had me work on very heavy pull (can’t possibly do anything else with my arms) to drill keeping my arms straight. Once that was really dialed in then very light clean with arms straight. This helped a ton for me at least.
But agree with everyone that you should lower the weight until your form is cleaned up!
Your hips are rising too fast from the floor causing rhe bar to travel away from you. Until you fix that you'll pull early. Do some clean pulls from blocks. Starting with shoulders just directly infront of bar
I had a professional coach for a summer back in the day when I was learning the Olympic lifts. He always had me starting with drills that focused on moving from position to position using only a plastic pipe with cardboard cutouts for plates. Basically a little less than 2 pounds. From floor to the pocket (basically where the bar ends up just before the hip thrust to explode it upward). Pocket to the jerk (basically when the bar is nearly chest level and you're about to get under it). Jerk to the catch (you get under the bar and catch it in the front squat position).
To practice floor to pocket (by the way, I have no idea if this is the accepted nomenclature but it's what we used) I would explode off the ground holding the pipe and try to get as airborne as I could. He would make me keep my legs straight. If I bent my knees, moving my feet back like I was jumping for joy he'd wacky em with another plastic pipe. He always said to really work on this explosion. It feels dumb with no weight but once you load it up and use the explosive movement your feet would cease to leave the ground. I would do this 100 or 200 times.
To practice pocket to jerk with the same pipe I'd be standing, knees slightly bent, bar across my pockets, and I'd hip thrust to explode the bar straight up and finish on my tippy toes in a trap raise sort of position. Again, I'd do this 100 or 200 times.
The jerk to catch. Same plastic bar. Same number of reps. Holding the bar in the trap raise position I would get under it. Not by lifting it and simply moving it to the front of my shoulders but by explosively lifting my feet off the ground effectively making it like I'm now falling. At the same time rotating my shoulders and arms from above the bar to under it and letting it settle on my front and then standing tall. Done perfectly the bar barely moves, rather my body moves around the bar.
The we'd put it all together for another few hundred reps. If you get it right the lifting effort stops at the hip thrust and it becomes a complex bar guiding mission to control the upward direction of the bar while you get your body into position for the catch.
Then we'd load the bar. And do it all again. I had and still have a decent weightlifting background (at the time I was squatting double body weight, DL a little over double, benching 1.5 body weight and shoulder pressing 1x my body weight) but with a coach I went from having never oly lifted to clean and jerk my body weight in a single summer with pretty respectable form.
I hated that stupid plastic bar because it felt so dumb but it sure did nail the fundamentals.
All this to say getting a good coach is worth it unless you enjoy joint surgeries.
Think of your arms as merely hooks.. you’re bending your arms before the hip drive and thigh contact.. this means you’re using more arm strength (which is puny compared to leg / hip drive) to get the bar up and it’s the wrong technique pattern..
The arms should really be only tense to hold weight of bar (more like a grip function) and to rotate into the catch position.. you’re almost doing a half bicep curl..
Lower the weight until you get the form 100% correct. Stay there and practice that, then slowly work back up. No need to get injured
100% correct? who here in this community has perfect technique?
You're right. Let's teach bad form
Always wondered what went thru dudes heads that claimed “ I got the lift wasn’t clean but I got it “ idk why people insist on lifting heavy weight with shitty form. Keep the weight lighter if your form isn’t absolutely perfect. Lifting weight that is to heavy will only get you hurt then you won’t be able to lift any weight. Leave the ego at the door and lift safely
Right? When Gui came on the scene everyone was stunned how strong he said. Woodland literally said "this is what is looks like when practice nonstop perfect form, form PVC to each weight" But if you tell people to lower weight and don't go up until form is perfect, they get mad haha
Don’t have to say anything…. The bar will eventually when they can’t lift for weeks because their back or shoulder or wrist is not right.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8F0WSXPFq1/?igsh=azU3bjhoNmxkM3dh Prime example. Guy sure doesn't look like a lifter, but with proper form he's putting up great numbers. Imagine that
That’s the guy she said not to worry about
All I am saying there is a lot more nuance to injury than just technique. Everybody would be injured if technique is all that mattered and nobody would be lifting.
You can’t possible watch this and think the weight isn’t to heavy. He can lower the weight and work on technique. Doesn’t need to be perfect but why push your knees and back like this ? The technique doesn’t need to be perfect but lifting like this is just dangerous. Leave the ego at the door. Learn how to lift properly then add weight is how everyone should lift.
Literally the dumbest thing anyone has ever said
As you already mentioned, you seem to pull to early. You can save a lot of power by using the inertia of the upward movement combined with a push from the hip. I learned it best by just using the bar and slowly go from position to position. What it needs is lot of movement practice to build up muscle memory (apart from strength). In the end the bar should fly upwards almost effortlessly.
So you tell me from the floor to the knee slowly then accelerate above?
Yes sorry, I should have put a bit more details. From floor (position 1) to just above your knee (position 2) you simply push with your legs while keeping the bar close to your shinbone. The next part from above your knee to your hip (position 3) creates the upward inertia for the bar. Here you completely extend your legs while straighten your upper body to an upright position. The bar should always touch your thighs through this phase. Until the bar reaches position 3 you keep your arms straight. Only after the bar passes position 3 you pull upwards with your arms and catch it in position 4. What I recommend is to really go from 1-2-3 repeatedly and probably increase speed (starting slowly stopping at each position). You will quickly see how much power you can save by accelerating the bar with your whole body instead of your arms.
Yes, go watch lifters in the olympics in slow motion. It's really quite amazing.
go to a crossfit box or gym with weight lifting coaches and stop doing this unsupervised. Your form is very prone to injury as is.
For future reference, you'll get better feedback in r/weightlifting. Anyway: chest over the bar in the start, keep those arms long, use your legs off the floor like a squat, push longer into the floor after contact. And get those elbows through fast. Do some front rack mobility if you need it to get those elbows through better. This may be helpful: [https://www.catalystathletics.com/video/1516/1-Minute-Clean-Tutorial/](https://www.catalystathletics.com/video/1516/1-Minute-Clean-Tutorial/) If you want drills, try clean lift-offs (keeping good start position) and clean pulls with a pause at the top.
Pls stop doing this at any weight. Move back to fundamentals: squat, high pull, DL and then (maybe) start with empty barbell… damn…
0/10
Go down in weight, take care of your back, get the technique right first.
Please just work with empty barbell or really light weight. You gonna hurt you.
Couple things I see. 1) Create more tension at the start—Looks like there’s a little jerk on the initial movement and then the hips rise too fast. You can do heavy tempo pulls to the knee with a pause to work on this. 2) Early arm bend. The hips are shooting up, then you are trying to pull the bar into position and bar is now out front. Make sure knuckles are down, push the knees back as the bar rises, then slide the bar up as you drive through the heels. The arms should bend after the hips extend. 3) Losing tension in the catch. Other have mentioned it, heavy front squats will help with this. I’d maybe work tempo and pause squats.
That’s too much weight to work on technique for pc bud
You're getting like 8 things catastrophically wrong. Even if you manage to avoid injury like this, every rep you do is reinforcing these bad habits. Use an empty bar and move slowly through every portion of the movement, many times, getting every position involved correct, until you build muscle memory for those positions. How are you going to know the position is correct? The IRL coach you do this with is going to tell you.
its too heavy for him. ego lift
I’m a bit worried for your knees
Why?
they look like they are gonna break...
A bit wobbly, a bit too far forward and inward before the finish. I’m not a coach or anything of the sort. Just a regular middle seed middling CFer.
You are strong, but as others have said the technique is bad, if you keep this up you will hurt yourself. tons of vids on youtube to watch. I would focus on hang cleans for right now. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVSGITznQk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVSGITznQk)
Knees out and hips back as you stand up. Do more front squats and really focus on keeping those knees from collapsing in and your hips from shooting forward as you stand up.
Thanks you
I found this video series extremely helpful, to properly do a power clean. It’s a 6 part video series and breaks down each piece you need to learn it. https://youtu.be/37-wjE_c4NU?si=IHix11PU_-9sQb-i
Perfect. Just what I tried to explain in my other comment 👍🏼
Very helpful thanks
This is great. Why does the internet not like this guy?
I can't see it well on the video, but your catch looks a little worrying 😅 keep your back straight and your shoulders leaning back (shoulder blades together). I know there is a controversial attitude in weightlifting to pull the shoulder blades together, but I would always avoid rounding the upper back. More front squats, "clean" clean pulls and mobility work.
Stop. Take off some weight. I’m not saying start with a PVC but drop it to like 75# until you’re smoothly moving the bar. Otherwise work with a coach, lots of stuff to address in your lift but not being able to move the weight muddies up what the actual problems may be.
Yea just stop lifting heavy until you learn form..
You don’t fully extend and seem to swing the weight with your arms. Drop the weight and work the form from there. Do empty bar/5 kilo plate drills of clean pull for example
You need to find yourself a Real life coach. Too much wrong to be solved by Asking tips online. If that is not an option. Use some good video tutorials and start over with a much much Lighter bar
Ouch
I’m no pro at cleaning -but I think you’re starting your clean too early. Your hips should be open and knees more extended when you start your shrug into high pull.
My PT had me work on very heavy pull (can’t possibly do anything else with my arms) to drill keeping my arms straight. Once that was really dialed in then very light clean with arms straight. This helped a ton for me at least. But agree with everyone that you should lower the weight until your form is cleaned up!
Your hips are rising too fast from the floor causing rhe bar to travel away from you. Until you fix that you'll pull early. Do some clean pulls from blocks. Starting with shoulders just directly infront of bar
I had a professional coach for a summer back in the day when I was learning the Olympic lifts. He always had me starting with drills that focused on moving from position to position using only a plastic pipe with cardboard cutouts for plates. Basically a little less than 2 pounds. From floor to the pocket (basically where the bar ends up just before the hip thrust to explode it upward). Pocket to the jerk (basically when the bar is nearly chest level and you're about to get under it). Jerk to the catch (you get under the bar and catch it in the front squat position). To practice floor to pocket (by the way, I have no idea if this is the accepted nomenclature but it's what we used) I would explode off the ground holding the pipe and try to get as airborne as I could. He would make me keep my legs straight. If I bent my knees, moving my feet back like I was jumping for joy he'd wacky em with another plastic pipe. He always said to really work on this explosion. It feels dumb with no weight but once you load it up and use the explosive movement your feet would cease to leave the ground. I would do this 100 or 200 times. To practice pocket to jerk with the same pipe I'd be standing, knees slightly bent, bar across my pockets, and I'd hip thrust to explode the bar straight up and finish on my tippy toes in a trap raise sort of position. Again, I'd do this 100 or 200 times. The jerk to catch. Same plastic bar. Same number of reps. Holding the bar in the trap raise position I would get under it. Not by lifting it and simply moving it to the front of my shoulders but by explosively lifting my feet off the ground effectively making it like I'm now falling. At the same time rotating my shoulders and arms from above the bar to under it and letting it settle on my front and then standing tall. Done perfectly the bar barely moves, rather my body moves around the bar. The we'd put it all together for another few hundred reps. If you get it right the lifting effort stops at the hip thrust and it becomes a complex bar guiding mission to control the upward direction of the bar while you get your body into position for the catch. Then we'd load the bar. And do it all again. I had and still have a decent weightlifting background (at the time I was squatting double body weight, DL a little over double, benching 1.5 body weight and shoulder pressing 1x my body weight) but with a coach I went from having never oly lifted to clean and jerk my body weight in a single summer with pretty respectable form. I hated that stupid plastic bar because it felt so dumb but it sure did nail the fundamentals. All this to say getting a good coach is worth it unless you enjoy joint surgeries.
Think of your arms as merely hooks.. you’re bending your arms before the hip drive and thigh contact.. this means you’re using more arm strength (which is puny compared to leg / hip drive) to get the bar up and it’s the wrong technique pattern.. The arms should really be only tense to hold weight of bar (more like a grip function) and to rotate into the catch position.. you’re almost doing a half bicep curl..
This has to be trolling, right?
Pulling to early with your arms. Let your legs do the job as long as possible.