Tom M-W
25-08-2009, 09:07 AM
Just a question about 'GS' cleans technique. I spent a lot of time studying Paul's youtube post: Long Cycle Clean & Jerk Ventsplils (tasgirevik - Aug 08 with Fedor Fuglev 10:38 min- Pauls hero!!) You know the one, anyway I notice a few things about their techniques:
1. The clean is very short / closed (re distance travelled / technique) and punchy. Also they don't seem to 'dump' the bells so much but rather let them drop, perhaps using more biceps. It seems to me that they must have 'out of this world' power to generate the force to clean this way. I tend to use an open style, dumping the bells and making the most of the fulcrum/swing point. My ideas about their techniques is that they want the bell to travel the shortest distance (therefore less work / quicker) and have the power to do that. And perhaps this is the only way to do it once the weight is so heavy-64kg?
2. Re: hand positioning: they don't seem to have their thumbs pointing backwards (like in the snatch, also how I do it.) Fuglev has his pointing neutral, maybe a touch backwards and the guy in the white shirt, although it's hard to see, might even have his pointing forward. Is this a personal thing or is there an ideal! Pointing my thumb backwards in the snatch (and in cleans) was a technical break through for me (thanks Rick!) It seems to allow the bells to travel a bit deeper and load the muscles a little more - which helps when you project them back up to the rack.
Also re: Rack / bell's hitting each other. In the beginning I tried to avoid letting the bells hit each other, but since my forced lay off I've been studying the video's and my technique. I notice that the top lifters allow the bells to clunk into each other (often every rep -especially handles on the jerk drop & clean racking catch). I've got an idea that by trying to avoid the bells hitting I was using up extra energy, as well as having to use / hold the bells in rack wider, and is therefore less supportive / more work and perhaps adding stress to my shoulders / upper back / pecks (areas of my tightness / trigger points / injury).
Any opinions / ideas welcome!
Tom
1. The clean is very short / closed (re distance travelled / technique) and punchy. Also they don't seem to 'dump' the bells so much but rather let them drop, perhaps using more biceps. It seems to me that they must have 'out of this world' power to generate the force to clean this way. I tend to use an open style, dumping the bells and making the most of the fulcrum/swing point. My ideas about their techniques is that they want the bell to travel the shortest distance (therefore less work / quicker) and have the power to do that. And perhaps this is the only way to do it once the weight is so heavy-64kg?
2. Re: hand positioning: they don't seem to have their thumbs pointing backwards (like in the snatch, also how I do it.) Fuglev has his pointing neutral, maybe a touch backwards and the guy in the white shirt, although it's hard to see, might even have his pointing forward. Is this a personal thing or is there an ideal! Pointing my thumb backwards in the snatch (and in cleans) was a technical break through for me (thanks Rick!) It seems to allow the bells to travel a bit deeper and load the muscles a little more - which helps when you project them back up to the rack.
Also re: Rack / bell's hitting each other. In the beginning I tried to avoid letting the bells hit each other, but since my forced lay off I've been studying the video's and my technique. I notice that the top lifters allow the bells to clunk into each other (often every rep -especially handles on the jerk drop & clean racking catch). I've got an idea that by trying to avoid the bells hitting I was using up extra energy, as well as having to use / hold the bells in rack wider, and is therefore less supportive / more work and perhaps adding stress to my shoulders / upper back / pecks (areas of my tightness / trigger points / injury).
Any opinions / ideas welcome!
Tom