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Introduction The recent popularity of the Olympic lifts

within the fitness industry has added a newdimension to many training programs. Theincreased use of highly technical exercises re-quires adequate preparation on behalf of theclient from a musculoskeletal standpoint, aswell as a greater degree of instructor compe-tence to properly teach the lifts. Clearly aweekend workshop is insufficient instructionfor an individual to safely teach these types ofskill-based lifts. Therefore, personal trainerswho want to employ these exercises will find itbeneficial to pursue additional training so thatthey can properly instruct them. Unlike a tra-ditional strength exercise like a military press,the Olympic lifts are velocity based and in-crease neuromuscular and musculoskeletal requirements. Trainers must be familiar withproper teaching cues as the movements arecomplex, fast and place significant stress onthe body. The Olympic lifts certainly require agiven level of expertise and physical capabilityto execute in safe manner, but most fitness en-thusiasts seem eager to take on the challenge.This is evident by simply spending five min-utes on YouTube, which quickly identifies thepotential problems associated with poor

instruction and lifting form. Key areas forconcern (also common sites for injury associ-ated with faulty form) include the shoulderjoints, rotator cuff, spine and lower back musculature.

In the Olympics there are two lifts; thesnatch and the clean and jerk. There are mul-tiple lifting variations, or methods, that canbe used within competition. For example, fol-lowing a complete clean from the floor, thejerk portion of the movement may be legallycompleted in a power jerk or split jerk posi-tion. Outside of Olympic competition thereexists a wide array of movements used in support of the competitive exercises as well asapplication in sports performance. Numerousassistives also have merit in support of thisstyle of training, some of which also havevariations, but again are technical in natureand require adequate preparation for safe usein a program.

Traditional lifts in some cases will form the foundational components of Olympicweightlifting. Due to the technical nature ofthe Olympic lifts individuals should first de-velop adequate muscular fitness before at-tempting the movements. Inadequate stability,muscle imbalances and poor ROM become

magnified during ballistic training and shouldbe accounted for before clearance into anOlympic training program. It is suggested afoundational program be employed prior toengaging explosive movements. The tradition-al deadlift and front squat exercises must bemastered among clients before Olympicweightlifting is considered as they resemblethe stable version of the first pull from thefloor and the clean receive. For advancedlifters attempting to perform the snatch, theoverhead squat is a pre-requisite exercise. Forany individual considering Olympic weightlifting there are some relevant musculoskeletal‘check points’ for safe clearance into the move-ment progressions.

1) Does the individual have pelvic stability?Lack of flexibility in the hips and lower back(particularly the hamstring and gluteal mus-culature) will compromise pelvic positionduring lifts from the floor. Likewise a posteri-orly rotated pelvis during squatting exercisesneeds to be corrected before receives are considered.

2) Does the individual maintain adequatelatissimus dorsi and triceps ROM? Individualassessment is not as relevant as a combinedcapability. For instance, latissiumus dorsi

Teaching theOlympic Lifts:

FundamentalTechniquesand thePower Clean

Teaching theOlympic Lifts:

FundamentalTechniquesand thePower Clean

Spring 2013 NCSF NEWS | 1

CEUQuiz

ROM in the sagittal plane is further chal-lenged under a flexed hip and shoulder. Indi-viduals that are assessed in the frontal planemay not demonstrate accurate limitations ineither muscle group. An ability to rack andmaintain the position during a full ROM frontsquat clearly demonstrates one’s mechanicalreadiness for Olympic receives.

3) Does the individual have adequate trunkstability to receive ballistic loads? Both theclean and jerk exercises as well as the snatchplace significant demands on trunk stabilizers.Individuals commonly engage faulty stabilitycouples, via over-activation of the hip flexorsand erector spinae, inhibiting proper activa-tion of the inner unit (diaphragm, pelvic floor,transverse abdominis (TVA), multifidus andposterior internal obliques). Inadequate stabil-ity is relevant for both concentric and eccen-tric movement but is primarily exploited dur-ing eccentric actions (receives). This is evidentby spinal flexion and scapular protraction forbar control.

The assistive lifts mentioned earlier are alsocommonly considered prerequisites to per-forming the more complex Olympic lifts. Certain sequence mastery makes sense in thedevelopment of technique and readiness ofthe musculoskeletal and neuromuscular sys-tems. For instance, the military press will pre-cede the push press, which in turn developsfoundational movement efficiency for the jerkexercises. Likewise clean pulls, high pulls, andhigh receives from the hang position can pre-cede floor-pulled versions. Once an individualhas mastered the rudimentary components,the techniques may progress into full ROMmovements.

Developing a Base –Fundamental Pulling TechniqueOnce a client is cleared for Olympic move-

ments and has established requisite capabili-ties, the first step to engaging the power cleanis mastery of basic pulling technique. Most in-structors will teach the clean using the hangposition above the knee before descending topulls from the floor. When the exercise startsfrom the floor the chance for failure along thekinetic chain is increased as the demands tocontrol both the body and the bar require acoordinated series of sequential actions to occur correctly. Personal trainers should un-derstand that lifting resistance from the floorto the chest (or higher) is not innate from abiomechanical perspective. In fact, the client’s

biomechanical efficiency and technique usual-ly determine success in the maximal lifts; notnecessarily their strength or power. Thereforeemphasis should be placed on technique, notthe load.

Basic pulling technique from the floor is gen-erally addressed as a series of phases:

– Starting Position

– First Pull (Liftoff)

– Scoop

– Second Pull (Jump Phase or Triple Extension)

– Pull-Under and Catch

– Recovery

Addressing the barA hook grip is most effective in the per-

formance of the Olympic lifts. The hook gripinvolves wrapping the index and middle fin-gers around the thumb, which is placed direct-ly against the bar in a “hook-like” position.The other fingers assist the index and middlefingers which maintain tight contact with thethumb. This grip is believed to add about 10%to the possible load lifted during any pullingaction. If this causes discomfort or irritationto the thumb, athletic tape can be used to mit-igate the friction. Furthermore, lifting strapscan also be used to optimize pulling forcesthrough the fingers, while allowing individualswith smaller hands to keep contact with thebar during repetitive lifting. However, liftingstraps can reduce relative hand strength andmake the release of a missed repetition haz-ardous when performing snatches.

The First PullThe starting position and first pull (or

liftoff phase) may look relatively similar to thedeadlift to the untrained eye, but they are cer-tainly not identical. Elite powerlifters (notOlympic weightlifters) deadlift extreme weightby wearing footwear with a minimal or noheel, standing with their shins tight to the bar,and they keep their balance towards theirheels. The lifter simply needs to keep their tor-so as erect as possible, using the hips, thighsand trunk to “stand up with the weight”. Acommon error is to suggest the bar should bedragged across the shins – this is blatantly in-correct based on simple physics. An individualtrying to perform a clean from the floor can-not replicate a deadlifter’s technique as he or

she will have trouble accelerating the bar withefficient vertical displacement as well as diffi-culty fixing the barbell in the receive position.The clean from the floor and the vertical jumphave many similarities as both aim to movemass directly opposite gravitational pull.Deadlift technique creates an inability toforcefully jump in a coordinated vertical move ment as the resistance is the heels driventhrough – but during the Olympic lifts theparticipant must drive off the ball of the feet.This identifies the clear difference between anexplosive act of an athletic nature, comparedto an act of moving heavy resistance.

For the starting position there are obviouslyindividual variances based on anthropomet-rics, but it is generally suggested to place thefeet about hip-width apart and align the barover the meta-tarsal phalangeal (MTP) jointsbefore squatting down to place the hands overthe bar. The MTP joints are generally locatedunder the distal aspect of the shoelaces, or in-line with the base of the big toe. Novice lifterswill often stay too tight to the barbell so that itstarts directly above the ankle joint, and endup rubbing the bar against their shins. Like-wise, a tendency exists to gain mechanical advantage by starting with a wider stance topreferentially access the gluteals. Keeping theheels under the hips can lead to the greatestvertical displacement of the barbell as this position takes full advantage of the length ofthe femur during knee and hip extension toproduce greater torque. Unfortunately, tight-ness in the hamstrings and lower back createlimitations to the start position, as it will leadto the participant using a wider stance (heelsoutside of the hips).

During the first pull, the lifter will pullthrough the fingers using a neutral wrist posi-tion, and the barbell will slightly move to-wards the mid-upper shins. Again it must beunderstood that the lifter should not inten-tionally attempt to pull the bar toward theshins, nor make contact with the shins. Con-tact demonstrates an error in center of massalignment. The arms serve as an anchor to thetorso; therefore, the elbows should be fully ex-tended and remain over the barbell. As thelatissimus dorsi contracts with the scapulaeretracted, the bar will naturally arc backwardto a minimal degree towards the center ofgravity. This presents clearly when using bartracking software; after which, the bar shouldmove in a straight vertical fashion with no de-viation back into the sagittal plane. During thepull, the hips and knees are extended simulta-

2 | NCSF NEWS Spring 2013

neously so that the shoulders and hips rise atthe same pace.

The scoop is performed as the bar surpassesthe height of the knees by thrusting the hipsforward slightly and rapidly re-flexing theknees and ankles while keeping the bar tightto the thighs. The knees will now be almost directly under the barbell, and the weight willbe transitioned towards the front of the feet.This gets the lifter into the “power position”which should essentially look like they areready to jump with a barbell in their hands.During all of these movements the barbell stilltravels solely in a vertical fashion.

The Second Pull The second pull is initiated from the power

position with explosive triple extension of theankles, knees and hips. Just previous to thisexplosive upward movement the barbell maymake contact with the mid or upper thighsdepending on the participant’s arm length. Acommon error is to bounce the bar outwardrather than “drive it” upward vertically withthe shrug. The maximum effort explosivejump is primarily driven by force from thelower body, with simultaneous explosiveshrugging action engaged by the upper trapez-

ius. The arms should still remain fully extend-ed at this point. A common error in the sec-ond pull is attempting to pull with the arms,visible by arm flexion and forward shoulders.

Once full vertical extension and shoulderelevation has been performed, the bar will beaccelerating beyond gravitational pull; thelifter should now rapidly flex the elbows andabduct the shoulders to pull the body underthe bar. Just consider this simple fact: it ismuch easier to pull the body under a signifi-cant load, than pull significant load up to ahigher point. The feet may leave the floor for aquick moment during this phase (due to rapidhip flexion), but this pull-under action canonly be engaged while the feet are in contactwith the floor. If the pull-under technique iscoupled with adequately rapid hip and kneeflexion, the lifter will end in a position underthe barbell for a successful receive. The recov-ery phase involves the lifter securing the loadin position on the shoulders (clean) andstanding up with the weight. Common errorsat the receive position include slow elbows(shoulder flexion), uneven shoulder and hipflexion, and the bar location too far out infront of the body rather than in close proximi-ty - common of inadequate or untimelyshrugging or bouncing the bar outward.

Safety Considerations:Spotters and Failed RepetitionsCollars should always be used to secure

the weight plates in position during the lift.Spotters on the other hand, should not beused as both the spotter and the lifter couldbe severely injured. Rather, the lifter needs tobe taught how to fail. It is the lifter’s responsi-bility to safely drop a barbell that is out of position during a failed attempt. Again, since rubber weight should be utilized over an ac-commodating floor during performance ofthe Olympic lifts, dropping the bar from anoverhead or shoulder position should not bean issue.

During a power clean receive attempt wherethe bar has significantly migrated into thesagittal plane, the barbell should be droppedin front of the body. During a deep squat cleanwith the bar moving backward however, it isbest to not attempt a save. It is recommendedto drop the hips backward while pushing thebar forward, which will place the lifter in aseated position with the barbell on the groundout in front of the body. Finally, missing a repetition during performance of the split jerk requires the lifter to drop the barbell out infront of the body from an overhead position.

NCSF Personal Trainer AppNow Available!The NCSF Personal Trainer App provides immediateinformation to optimize your training experience.Easily calculate the resistance for your client’s nextset, determine the percentage of effort per exercise,or identify the nutritional needs of your clientfollowing an exercise bout based on caloricexpenditure. The Personal Trainer App providesessential information to maximize the time-effortrelationship, create more effective programs, adjustintensities, and determine physiological metrics todemonstrate results. Put the science into yourworkouts without lengthy, long-hand calculations ortextbooks. Evidence-based, peer-reviewed datameets technology, allowing you to simply plug andprogram. The Personal Trainer App will allow you totrack physical performance, provide clients withinstant feedback, and complete 11 differentcalculations in any fitness setting.

NCSF Mobile App Adds Max HR Calculators Determining Heart Rate Max is necessary toaccurately identify an exerciser’s relative trainingzones for improved cardiorespiratory fitness or forcompetitive event pre paration. Heart rates correlateto oxygen uptake during aerobic exercise andtherefore aerobic activities above 50% of VO2maxcan be used to set exercise training zones. As theheart becomes more conditioned it can perform thesame workload using less beats, explaining why elitecompetitors actually experience a decline in MaximalHeart Rate.

Visit: http://www.ncsf.org/mobileapps/

Spring 2013 NCSF NEWS | 3

Start Position: • The feet are placed between hip- and the shoulder-width apart withthe toes pointed forward

• The bar should start near the distal aspect of the shoelaces, or 1-3inches from the shins

• A pronated hook grip should be used, placing the hands on the barslightly wider than shoulder-width, outside of the knees while flexingin front of the bar to attain a position where the hips are slightly higherthan the knees

• The shoulders should be slightly in front of the barbell while theelbows are fully extended and pointed (rotated) outwards so that theyare directly over the barbell

• The lifter’s weight should be balanced slightly towards the balls of thefeet, but the heels remain in contact with the floor

• The shoulder blades should be retracted, the trapezius relaxed, thechest elevated, the back flat or slightly arched, and the head held in aneutral position; maintaining a forward gaze

1. The First Pull (Liftoff): • The hips and knees are extended simultaneously to pull the bar fromthe floor; as this occurs the lifter’s balance should be shifted from theballs of the feet to a mid-foot position

• Again, the bar will lightly sweep towards the shins as it comes off thefloor; once this occurs it should follow a purely vertical trajectory

• A flat back must be maintained and the torso angle (in relation to thefloor) must remain constant, meaning the shoulders and hips shouldrise at the same pace

• During the clean, novice lifters commonly make the mistake ofextending the knees faster than the hips, thus reducing the torso angleand affecting the transition into the scoop

• The elbows remain fully extended and the shoulders will be over orslightly in front of the bar

• The knees almost completely straighten, but still maintain a slightbend as the bar rises past the knees; here the hips will finish elevatingthe bar until it reaches a low-to-mid thigh position

2. The Scoop: • As the bar reaches the low-to-mid thigh position (a) the hips aredriven toward the bar, and (b) the knees are dropped under the bar to create the “scoop” position; this requires rapid and simultaneous re-flexion of the ankles, knees and hips

• The balance should be redirected back to the balls of the feet to prepare for a rapid jumping action

• The back remains flat, the shoulders remain over the bar, and theelbows remain fully extended

• During a clean, the scoop phase will usually cause the bar to contactthe mid or upper thighs

The Power Clean

1

4 | NCSF NEWS Spring 2013

3. The Second Pull (Jump or Triple Extension Phase)• From this “power position” created by the scoop, the lifter will nowexecute an explosive vertical jump by extending the hips and knees andplantar-flexing the ankles; all while keeping the bar tight to the body

• The shoulders should remain over the bar with the elbows fullyextended as long as possible

• At the top of the pull, as the lower body reaches full extension, the liftermust fully activate the trapezius by rapidly shrugging the shoulders

• When the shoulders reach their highest elevation, the elbows arequickly flexed and rotated forward to start pulling the body under the bar

• As with the snatch, the torso may slightly hyperextend and the feet may lose contact with the floor; again this lack of contact must beminimized

4. Pull-Under and Catch (Rack)• The pull-under phase should begin before the barbell fully loses itupward momentum by quickly flexing and rotating the elbows forwardwhile rapidly flexing the hips and knees

• Remember: the decent phase is accelerated by pulling against the barwith the feet on the floor; it is not a free fall

• As the elbows are quickly driven forward and under the barbell, thewrists are extended and the shoulders are raised to cushion thelanding/racking of the bar across the deltoids and clavicles

• During a power clean, the catch is attained in a quarter-squat position

• In this catch position:

• The torso in nearly erect; a flat back and elevated chest are maintained

• The shoulders are slightly in front of the hips

• The elbows are lifted so that the upper arms are parallel to the floor

• The head is maintained in a neutral position and the feet are flat on the floor

5. Recovery • After gaining postural control and balance in the quarter-squat

position, the lifter will “push down against the floor” to facilitate fluidand coordinated extension of the hips and knees and to attain a fully-erect standing position

• The elbows and chest must remain elevated to keep the bar in theracked position

• The recovery phase is complete when the lifter has stood up straightwith the barbell stabilized

2 3

4 5

K e e p c l i e n t s S A F E

Spring 2013 NCSF NEWS | 5

1. Which of the following are key areas forconcern with improper performance ofthe Olympic lifts?

a. The glenohumeral joints

b. Rotator cuff

c. Lower back

d. All of the above

2. Which of the following foundationallifts is a pre-requisite to attempting aclean receive?

a. Overhead squat

b. Lateral squat

c. Front squat

d. Front-loaded split squat

3. Which of the following muscles iscommonly over-activated for stabilitycausing inhibition of proper stabilizersduring performance of the Olympiclifts?

a. The pelvic floor

b. The gluteals

c. The transverse abdominis

d. The erector spinae

4. Which of the following grips improveslifting efficiency during pulling actionsfrom the floor?

a. Supinated

b. Neutral

c. Hook

d. Alternating

5. True or False? When performing thefirst pull during a power clean the barshould be pulled tight to the body sothat it rubs against the shins.

a. True

b. False

6. During performance of any of theOlympic lifts, collars should always be used to secure the weight plates in position but ____________ shouldnever be used.

a. Spotters

b. Knee braces

c. Athletic taping on the hands

d. Lifting straps

7. Which phase of the power clean, whenproperly executed, will get the lifterinto the ideal ‘power position’ toperform a maximum vertical explosivejumping action?

a. The pull-under

b. The scoop

c. The second pull

d. The first pull

8. At the top of the second pull when theshoulders reach their highest elevation,the lifter must then:

a. Flex the elbows and abduct theshoulders to pull the bar to chestheight while hyper-extending thetrunk

b. Flex and rotate the elbows forward tostart pulling the body under the barwhile flexing the hips and knees

c. Rapidly flex the knees and hips tofree fall into a position below the barwhile flexing the elbows andshoulders

d. None of the above

9. Which of the following pointers forproper form during the catch position of a power clean are incorrect?

a. The back remains flat and the chestshould be elevated

b. The shoulder should be slightlybehind the hips

c. The elbows are lifted so that theupper arms are parallel with the floor

d. The feet are flat on the floor

10. Which of the following teachingtechniques for the power clean is correct?

a. The bar should start near the distalaspect of the shoe laces

b. During the first pull the shouldersand hips rise at the same pace tomaintain a constant torso angle inrelation to the floor

c. At the end of the second pull, the feetmay lose contact with the floor, butthis lack of contact must beminimized for an efficient pull-underand catch

d. All of the above are correct

CEU QuizTeaching the Olympic Lifts

CEU Quiz Answer Sheet Teaching the Olympic Lifts

Directions: Fill in each blank with the correct choice on the answer sheet. To

receive 0.5 CEUs, you must answer 8 of the 10 questions correctly. Mail a copy

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Spring 2013 NCSF NEWS | 6

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