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December 12, 2006
Analysis of a Clean, Part 2
(Note: I pulled these photos from Coach Mike Burgener's website. Familiarize yourself with this site; it's a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in Olympic weightlifting.)
In Analysis of a Clean, Part 1, we took an in-depth look at Nicole's clean.
The take-home points of that discussion were as follows:
1. The clean (and snatch, for that matter) is all about getting the bar to travel in as vertical a path as possible (for the most part).
2. Strive to get full, powerful hip extension so that there's no horizontal displacement of the bar (i.e., don't let the bar move away from you).
3. Don't try and pull the bar up high with your arms, pull yourself under the bar.
I selected the three pictures above because they're beautiful illustrations of the correct positions an athlete wants to be in at critical stages of the clean.
In the first photo, the lifter has just completed the first pull from the floor and the bar has just passed his knees. What's interesting about this part of the clean is that it's virtually indistinguishable from a deadlift at the same spot. The mechanics of the two are very similar up to that point.
In the second photo, the lifter has just completed the scoop, which is the move where the lifter's upper torso becomes vertical (or nearly so) while keeping the hip flexed (the athlete is primed to launch himself explosively upward), and which is where the clean and deadlift decide to part company. The scoop is necessary for the clean, but not for the deadlift, because the objective of the clean is to drive the bar upward with such vertical force that it remains weightless for a split-second, allowing the lifter to dive under the bar and catch it in a deep front squat. The objective of the deadlift is far less loftier (poor pun intended). The bar only needs to be raised to a position slightly below the athlete's hip in a deadlift.
The third photo shows what happens to the bar after the lifter violently extends his hip and sends the bar skyward (skyward being a relative term here) with everything he has. This point in time marks the end of one phase of the clean (the phase involving the pulling of the bar) and the beginning of another phase of the clean (the phase involving the athlete pulling himself under the bar). At this point, it's simply a race between the bar and the athlete to the ground. The first one to get there wins (I'm oversimplifying a tad).
One final observation about the photos: Check out how close to his body the bar stays in all three of the photos. This is critical!
Well, enough writing about the clean.
Let's watch it in action now. In the link below, Pyrros Dimas cleans and jerks 469 lbs at a bodyweight of 187 lbs. That's just sick!
(And please take note of his narrow, feet-under-hips stance in the push jerk--hint, hint, hint to all of you with your precious wide stances out there!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-hShqLWGjg
Posted by Mike Minium at December 12, 2006 11:57 PM
Comments
Do we have to do the little dance??
Posted by: Maximus at December 13, 2006 8:10 AM
Hey everyone. As some of you know I play in a metal band and we have a show this saturday, the 16th, in Alameda. If you're interested, you can listen to a couple of our new songs, which will be on our upcoming full length album, at www.myspace.com/myotonia. (warning, music starts right away, so if you're at work, turn the volume down). Here are the show details.
Saturday, 12/16
Rooster's Roadhouse
1700 Clement Ave,
Alameda, California
21+
10 bucks.
show starts at 7, but we're playing 3rd or 4th, so you don't need to get there right away.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for how bad some of the other bands might suck.
Hope to see some of you out there. oh, when they ask at the door, tell them you're there for MYOTONIA. we get paid that way.
Posted by: Jonathan at December 13, 2006 8:39 AM
Max, just admit that when you're all alone at CFO you practice your own victory dance. It's okay, we'll respect you anyway.
What's amazing about that lift, aside from the fact that he's lifting 469 pounds over his head, is how quick he pops under the bar. He gets it up to sternum height for just a quick second, then he's under it.
I'm also wondering why he did a push jerk and not a split jerk. Don't you get more power from the split jerk?
Great post, Mike.
Posted by: Tim at December 13, 2006 9:30 AM
that guy is amazing, his little dance at the end was quite a contrast to the lift. very cute.
Posted by: annie Vought at December 13, 2006 9:35 AM
I just found this on YouTube. It's Dimas working out. Scary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVB_rQFSsEg&mode=related&search=
Posted by: Tim at December 13, 2006 9:36 AM
Yep, Tim, that's a good video of Dimas, too.
I've watched that probably 50 times over the past year or so.
And to answer your question, I can only guess that Dimas push jerks due to personal preference. I'm not sure which method yields more power. Dimas, being one of the greatest lifters of all time, certainly got a lot of mileage (and power) out of the good ol' push jerk, though.
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 13, 2006 12:10 PM
that guy's ridiculous. i like how in the video of his workout the "narrator" is like, "we've already gone past what any american can do."
americans. pfff.
Posted by: Jonathan at December 13, 2006 6:27 PM