3 Movements to Improve Your Pulling Strength

In this video I explain the differences between the "olympic pull" and the deadlift and how to build a stronger pull (post-chain) for weightlifting.

[@zacktelander]

"he proceeded to do this lift, a combination stiff-leg deadlift and regular deadlift, but actually neither. He did several sets, working up to 250 for triples" -Jim Schmitz on watching Nicu Vlad train.....Do your post chain work, people!

[@5adi5]

Hey Zack, why do you force retraction of the scapular?

[@zacktelander]

It's only a forcible action because the eccentric tempo really puts a lot of strain thoracic spine. This results in rounding which is not good. When you think about retracting the scaps and maintain that position throughout the eccentric portion of the lift, you'll notice the force it takes to do so.

[@xinsanedefeatx]

Wait, so he did RDL's relatively heavy and for low reps? That's pretty much the exact opposite of what most people say to do these days

[@SerbSimulator]

Thanks for the Video clip! Forgive me for butting in, I am interested in your opinion. Have you ever tried - Millawdon Muscles Mountain Trick (search on google)? It is a smashing one off product for learning an effective strength training program to get fast results without the hard work. Ive heard some interesting things about it and my friend Sam finally got excellent results with it.

[@MikeXCSkier]

Another fun fact about Nicu Vlad. He is related to Vlad the Impaler who was a brutal ruler of a portion of Romania in the 15th century. He was also known as Vlad Dracul and Vlad Dracula and was, in fact, the inspiration for the legend of Dracula.

[@joaobomfim4278]

I am sure when I will try the Kang squat people will both come tell me I don't know what I am doing and take pictures of me for "bodybuilding fails"

[@MikeXCSkier]

Weightlifting is a lonely business. Most people will not understand what you are doing. Once I was doing clean pulls from the hang at a commercial gym and someone told me I needed to lighten the weight and do proper upright rows. Just ignore them.

[@MikeXCSkier]

@Majed Al-Oskan I guess not.

[@joaobomfim4278]

@@MikeXCSkier similar thing happened to me once when doing high pulls, a guy came over to tell me I should stop banging my thighs on the bar while doing shrugs or I would hurt myself... After I told him it was an Oly exercise he got a little scared of me :))))

[@danielhenderson762]

One time I was wearing a crossfit tee at a commercial. I did heavy snatch high pulls, also dropping from the hip on the final rep. People around me where just shaking their heads. I'm pretty sure this one dude videoed me lol

[@andrewBwinter]

@@MikeXCSkier because you "really" needed the unwanted coaching. Classic.

[@justLeeroyedIt]

The Kang squat is my normal squat 💀

[@zish4k]

first i’ve heard of the kang squat....thanks for sharing it with us!

[@rudyrich9817]

It s a good morning squat combo exercice, but I think it's very advance

[@rajinbin]

The Chinese do it a lot, that's where I have seen it first. They have the accessory work down.

[@jennymarie4803]

Love these types of videos. Short and packed with practical info. Thanks for making them!

[@MatiasStrengthCoach]

Recently came across your channel and I'm really enjoying it. Is nice to see people promoting Weightlifting, with all this aesthetic-bodybuilding channels nowadays. I trained Weightlifting for the last couple of months and it has been fun, though now I'm switching back into more of a Powerlifting style focused training. Great content, keep it up! PS: be sure to avoid hitting the bar with your hips forward, since this will cause an ineffective trayectory of the barbell thus a less efficient lift (clean pulls in 2:20)

[@alfonsogonzalez6371]

I'm trying to get back into doing weightlifting cause I find the lifts very fun to work on and finding your channel has been amazing, awesome content

[@TaiPatrickTV]

Thank you. Trying to transition from PL to OLY lifting, but it was always hard for me to understand the difference between a DL and a pull

[@PhilosophicalWeightlifting]

Excellent video. I think it would be interesting to see you do a video on clean grip/snatch grip deadlifts and weightlifting. If they're compatible, how they would fit into a periodized plan, what rep ranges/intensities you would use, etc.

[@edgarchavez2920]

Very helpful ZT I always find something new to learn from your vids!

[@Debrafeem]

I want more videos like this in fall 2020, Zack! They're underrated!!!!

[@JohnmillerPowerlifting]

I like the format of this video i will be sure to give some of these a try. That last one looks like a killer

[@sbwke9432]

Best weightlifting channel on the net

[@ghfjfghjasdfasdf]

Wicked moves, I’m gonna start doing these. Today is Pull day. Thanks for the awesome vid!

[@sheldonvictorine9569]

Dang great info. Ive been doing Kang squats forever without knowing they were an actual movement

[@deon139]

Props for featuring rebeka! Maybe make a video on your weightlifting journey and how u got into weightlifting? Keep up with the quality content man!

[@PhilosophicalWeightlifting]

Hey, I recently did a podcast with Zack and he explains a majority of his weightlifting journey. Give it a listen if you'd like... soundcloud.com/user-328191926/episode-15-ft-zack-telander-problems-with-crossfit-programming-trusting-your-training-and-more

[@deon139]

Cool thanks alot!

[@ptarleton]

IMO coaches should talk about the pull in terms of angular momentum. What contributes to angular momentum? Mass, Velocity, and Lever Length. Why stay over the bar? It gives the bar-body system more lever length, thus more momentum. If a long lever is so great, why don't we just stiff-leg the pull? Because the Quads are a big, strong muscle and we want to use them. It's a balancing act. Why does the bar move so fast after the "2nd Pull?" Because momentum is conserved. P=MV. The mass of the lifter's upper body isn't part of the system anymore. P is gonna stay the same, so V increases. It's like a 2-stage rocket. The first stage is all fuel and metal. When the fuel is burnt off and the bottom stage detaches, the top half has tremendous velocity but momentum is the same.

[@zacktelander]

This is exactly the type of video I would like to make. It just takes a lot more work!!!

[@emmanueloluga9770]

Penn Tarleton geeky...me like

[@BlurbFish]

That's a lot of nonsense. The bar moves fast after the 2nd pull because the 2nd pull is a violent extension of three joints (ankle, knee, hips), making full use of the human body's largest and strongest muscles (quads, hams, glutes). At this point the bar is bound to slow down, because only weaker muscles like traps can contribute to the bar's vertical movement. The bar doesn't move fast because the lifter's upper body somehow becomes massless. No, pulling yourself under the bar has nothing to do with your mass, it simply allows you to catch lower meaning you can lift heavier. The advantage of a two-stage rocket has nothing to do with momentum, but is a clever trick to reducing mass, and by extension fuel efficiency. Once the 'bottom part' is void of fuel, it is effectively a deadweight - by getting rid of it, the remaining rocket effectively has lower mass, and so can be accelerated to a higher velocity using the same amount of fuel. The 'top part' is not directly accelerated by detaching from the 'bottom part', it just becomes lighter.

[@joeschultz4819]

This was an informational and refreshing video. Quality job.

[@killers007q8]

1:03 thats the smoothest clean i've ever seen , nice one

[@Cristianmlopez]

Excellent video ! Can’t wait to incorporate these movements more into my program

[@Kalleurban]

fantastic quality as always, your channel will grow in no time!

[@dodgethehell]

very nice. love you Zack

[@DB.COFFEECHRONICLES]

This is a great video, good solid advice. You can tell that you know what you are talking about. Thanks for the tips!!

[@johnbreuwet6224]

Thanks brother, going to give this a try Monday. Seen this back then. Those high clean pulls are exhausting. Learned to love those and trap pulls. Could you post a video on the difference between each countries snatch technique? On how each other’s differ?

[@juanrodriguez-yo8dt]

what about deficit snatch grip deadlifts? I've seen Klokov give advice to use that lift in order to get stronger

[@landowar2162]

I absolutely love that exercise.

[@benpaul9211]

He does mention this

[@alexchaney8916]

If you could do only one lift regardless of sport, the bent-knee deficit snatch deadlift would be the one.

[@CeroAshura]

@@alexchaney8916 what about the wide stance deficit snatch grip pull?

[@jackemarleeyoung]

I’m glad I subscribed to this channel early on

[@ConstantlyVariedFitness]

Awesome video man!!

[@julianshot1526]

Great content.

[@MrSpicyAlCi]

Such an awesome vid! Merci Zack

[@yanglinluo]

This is gold thanks zack

[@cryptogeo4152]

Your videos are motivate me thank you ! Im 1.95cm height.

[@amospan14]

Great breakdown man!

[@fbtyube]

The Kang squat seems like you’re killing 2 birds with 1 stone by combining a goodmorning with a deep squat...I might implement this movement since I haven’t trained the lower body for a long-ass-time. Looks like a time saver.😄

[@everything_strength]

Great video! Cool music too! Do you make it yourself?

[@duchaneaux]

oh nice, I saw oleksiy torokhtiy say to do the kang squat before but I don't think he didn't call it that.

[@aeiou99999]

Great stuff.

[@Flexapr]

Good 👍🏻 channel, ZT. What’s your weight, age, height, and Oly. Lifting 🏋🏼background? *Subscribed*

[@jojoshulk]

Thanks coach!

[@TheNobleipman]

Wow, just subscribed

[@LOlRDas]

you should also point out what kind of weight % you should be handling to make it more informative for beginner lifters and people in general(this will also improve the content). :D

[@martingrzanna2005]

just fantastic

[@piotrwalewicz7106]

This is the first time I see anybody focus on the eccentric of a "olympic pull". It certainly does make sense. What do you think about "panda pulls", Zack?

[@zacktelander]

Piotr Walewicz I’m a HUGE advocate of panda pulls.

[@andreasholm2841]

Great content!

[@thebuddhaofknowledgemichae2486]

Kang Squat= Good mornings + squat. Does having big lats help with the pull?

[@thinkwell652]

Great video

[@LatimusChadimus]

Your RDL is a stiff legged RDL, slightly not as transferrable as a normal RDL pattern that would follow the first pull

[@HIMCULES]

Another interesting fact: Nicu Vlad has stated he once saw Yuri Zakharevich in training, do a 300kg jerk from the rack.

[@MerlinDeLyon]

1:42 lmaohammed ayyhab is pretty jacked also, mirin your RDL range of motion also, first time i've heard about the wewuzkangs squat. wouldn't that movement reinforce shit form in the backsquat?

[@zacktelander]

Mr FZ meeeeehhhh it kinda does for a beginner but it demonstrates control of the post chain mainly. I probably would wait until the lifter is competent in the back squat before introducing them to the #wewuzkangs squat.

[@MerlinDeLyon]

that's what i assumed, interesting lift tho, never knew it had a name

[@criszapatasaenz7966]

good job dude

[@dalegilleran514]

Hey Zack, When adding the eccentric pulls to your program do you count those with your clean/snatch reps for overall volume in regards to Prilepin"s Chart?

[@Intuos77]

Good Video!

[@MatteoFitness]

Isn't the hinge portion way weaker than the squat part? Is it really a sufficiently proportionate exercise to be an efficient training tool? I'm sure most people can high bar squat way more than they can high bar good morning. Just my 2c.

[@fabioandrade8476]

I never clicked a video so fast.

[@kas0016]

Fábio Andrade and I didn't regret it

[@stluciestrength]

How much weight ( low?) & how many reps & sets do you recommend, especially for the Kang squat? Thanks.

[@yikelu]

Inspired in part by my craptacular DL to Clean ratio, I'm guessing.

[@apuuvah]

Oleksiy Torokhtiy did the Kang squat in one smooth movement. Isn't it the exact same effect, if you use slightly more weight and do it in one smooth move?

[@yannickpinto9569]

When you say "further away from the center base", what is "center base" for you? because during olympic pull, I manage to keep my center of mass over the bar by bringing my knees forward at the starting position

[@zacktelander]

Yannick Pinto so I don’t actually mean distance away from the lifters center base in the sense of forward or away from the body. I literally mean the kinetic chain is longer in the pull compared to the squat. Therefore the barbell is further away from the point of force production (in this case, the feet). If I was talking about the center base being the hips the same would be true.

[@scottblackmore7468]

What percentages would you work these at? Or perhaps a better question would be, what rep ranges would you train these at?

[@axelpoulsson7234]

hey, i understand this comment is a bit late but i was wondering when seeing you execute the clean pull your knees go infront of the bar, I've heard this is not wanted? Does it actually matter where the knees are when doing a clean/clean pull?

[@samuelzachariah4]

What’s your RDL to Pull ratio, bro?!

[@MrWowinfo]

you are doing the pull with bad form, your extension is like hip thrust rather than be vertical , the video is good

[@dillonblack4524]

I'm confused, are you exhaling on the way back down? Because it looks like you hold your breath

[@jackalacka2887]

Do you have any tips on improving thoracic extension? This also ties in with your squat jerk video.

[@zacktelander]

Jackalacka 28 those eccentric pulls and front squats with a focus on thoracic extension (scaps back, chest up) have been crucial for my thoracic extension development.

[@jackalacka2887]

Zack Telander Love your content by the way. With regards to what you said earlier do you advocate an exaggerated amount of scapula retraction or just enough to maintain a tight upper back?

[@zacktelander]

I actually think about keeping my scaps retracted forcibly but not exaggerated. The weight pulling you down is actually going to force you into a neutral position even if you are forcing them back. Think of it like both forces are pulling the same to create a solid neutral position. Often times, lifters don't forcibly retract and the force of the barbell wins. This ruins the whole purpose of the lift, thoracic extension development.

[@Fake--Natty]

Since this is all about developping strength then conventional deadlift ought to be mentioned. For more upper back work rows and front squats do excellent job. But as far as lower back and hips nothing beats the deadlift, especially for novice and early intermediate lifters. More advanced might limit their amount of conventional deadlifting because of the very hugh amount of weight used and extremely taxing nature of the lift in favour of mentioned RDL. Obviously WLifters should use hook grip or straps instead of mixed grip when doing these. Ps. Not all weightlifters have low hips starting positions on their cleans and snatches. If you look really close you will observe that in almost all cases the hips rise before the bar leaves the ground when you start with a low hips-squat like position.

[@zacktelander]

" But as far as lower back and hips nothing beats the deadlift, especially for novice and early intermediate lifters" I would agree with this 100%. Regardless of hip position in the set up, look at the thoracic extension throughout the pull when comparing the clean/snatch vs. the dead. The competition powerlifter, though not ideally, can round, even if it is very slightly, whereas the WLer can't deviate in the slightest. I would argue that even if the hips rise when starting the olympic pull, they are STILL for the most part, lower than that of the powerlifter (at least when the bar is at the knees if not the floor). None of these points are to state that the olympic pull is superior to the deadlift in any way! I just am simply pointing out the difference. Thank you for your comment!

[@Fake--Natty]

Zack Telander I really enjoyed reading your response, you clearly have a very open mind. As far as rounding the back on the deadlift goes... it is almost inevitable in most cases under maximal loads. At least to some degree. However given the specifics of WL competition lifts and since the deadlift would be at best an accessory lift for WL it should be always performed with a flat back. Deadlift for WL is "just" a tool for improving strength, unlike for PL where it is a contested lift. WLers def shouldn't compromise form for the sake of higher DL numbers. Obviously snatches and cleans start with a lower hip position than the deadlift, even if one uses a high-hip starting position. The grip and stance are wider, it produces at least slightly (for snatches usually much more than slightly) different leverages and moment arms.

[@avocado6623]

I find the conventional deadlift messes with my clean, from a technical standpoint.

[@kyrie4451]

Fake Natty No, only the weak and technically flawed ones raise their hips first, you see that from a lot of American weightlifters, but rarely from the Chinese. Deadlift is not velocity or angularly specific to weightlifting, snatch/clean deadlift with submax load can reinforce the squat like pattern pull better than deadlift, and do not induce unnecessary central fatigue that hinders weightlifting training.

[@dickpiano1802]

Kyrie English Thoracic mobility - meme Central nervous fatigue - meme Pulling strength - meme I enjoy these conversations between enlightened powerlifters and crossfitters because it is usually just a bunch of buzz words thrown around and overthinking to the extremes.

[@Leo-wf7qc]

Kang squat is basically an exaggeration of Clarence Kennedy squat style

[@josepferrer81kg39]

Which is the intro song?

[@LucasBritoBJJ]

I really enjoy your videos and Juggernaut... but i like greg everett stuff. His RDL is different... this RDL you showed us is his Stiff Leg Deadlift. Thx for your videos

[@puppy8125]

Lucas Brito no it isn’t you fucking clown, stiff leg deadlifts are pulled from the floor, these are RDL’s.

[@Patrick.E.]

Don't you have a pressing video in the works?

[@zacktelander]

yessir

[@henrikgulyas]

RDL: how low, for optimum results?

[@zacktelander]

IMO as low as you need to go to properly isolate the hamstrings and glutes. I look for that big stretch in the hamstrings and that usually occurs right as I get to the knees. So I'd say just past the knees is optimal. Only issue when you get to low is that the scaps can start to come forward. From there I think about contracting the hamstrings and glutes by PUSHING MY FEET DOWN in to the ground.

[@WooghaWhoogashwoogha]

I always go low enough to hear an explosive POP that lets me know I've torn my hamstring again.

[@The_Argent_Inferno]

for the algo

[@DavisOfAllTrades]

0:48 yes 0:54 no

[@ankitbrother]

I do kang squat ............ unintentionally !

[@gunfighterdrummer]

I keep hearing a black infant in the background.

[@jw247]

Kang Squat...lol....more like ...oh crap I f up my erector squat..- Good mornings and then finish with a movement that looks like you never did squat before..too funny....and .everyone likes abbreviations and renaming everything like its something that they invented .wow RDL ...you mean stiff legged deadlift.?..oh im sorry.....SLDL.... Ya know I should comeback and start training wannabee lifters again....but it truly is a lost cause. My advice...make sure you have a lot of ice close by

[@duncanthaw6858]

Scapular retraction meme needs to die. Sorry Zack, gotta thumbs down this one.

[@zacktelander]

Duncan Thaw I don’t cue scrap retraction for literally anything other than the eccentric pulls (rdls included in that). This is to purposefully and forcefully utilize the muscles that cause thoracic extension. This is because the movement starts from retraction (in the top position and moves down I.e. eccentric). Don’t misunderstand this for me cueing scap retraction for the actual pull. The scaps WILL retract at extension but they won’t be retracted the entire time. Two separate movements and two separate sets of cues. I’m well aware of the notion that scap retraction isn’t a necessity in the initial pull however this is an accessory, so the set of cues and most importantly THE INTENT of the lifter is different. All of this is hard to package in a short succinct video. You’re issue with the “retraction meme” isn’t wrong at all I just hope you can understand why I said it in the first place. Cheers

[@ericguanlao]

I hate how you mispronounce "eccentric". (Oh, God. So hard to watch.) Just because Tom, Dick, and Harry say, "ee-centric", doesn't mean it's correct. Research it. Seriously. Be better.

[@Mynameisnotbilbo]

What a ridiculous thing to be arsey over

[@dickpiano1802]

“Pulling strength” - meme