KICK OUT THE PRESS OUT

[@zacktelander]

Holy shit just wait until you guys see the next video. “JUsT mAkE tHe LiFt BrO” OK JUST SO WE ARE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR. THE PRESS OUT IS A BIT OF A MISNOMER. THIS IS BECAUSE IT IS RARELY CALLED (IN COMPETITION FOR ADVANCED LIFTERS) DUE TO AN ATHLETE ACTUALLY “PRESSING” THE BAR INTO ITS FINAL POSITION. THE CALL USUALLY WILL COME FROM A SUBJECTIVE FLICKER OF THE ELBOW DURING THE CATCH OR THE RECOVERY PHASES.

[@jonashuovila9287]

Olympic lifting is daying cause many reasons and this is not one of them, first reason why olympic lifting is dying is cause it's a beta male sport cause it doesn't reward the user in any different/better way then other lifting stuff like calisthenics, powerlifting, strongman BUT there is ENORMOUS risks to it which can make you messed up for life. On top of that it's complicated for normal people another major factor is most weight lifters gets pushed steroids into their body at young age which makes people not wanna get into weighlifting. Basicly weightlifting has 0 to give to people besides being a super toxic beta male sport that hopefully will have died out in 50 years or less time.

[@09thespecialone]

@@jonashuovila9287 It's already a dead sport.

[@jonashuovila9287]

@@09thespecialone Hopefully it does completly and gets buried 6 feet deep.

[@brutalieri]

@@jonashuovila9287 Admit it, you just suck at weightlifting.

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

@@jonashuovila9287 Lol... like did you actually just go with your gut on all of this, Olympic lifting is actually statistically one of the safest sports in the Olympics. There are 2 main reasons that set it apart from strongman and a third that doesn't really count depending on who you talk to. 1. you miss a back squat in powerlifting you get crushed if your spotters fail, switch grip deadlifts are not natural and have decent chance of tearing a bicep, bench press is surprisingly most likely the safest, but a lot of strain on your back none the less, (more so deadlift and back squat) as for strongman, well... its pretty much risky moves city, but the guys are beasts so they rarely let it show. In weightlifting if your trained and miss a snatch or clean its almost always because you didn't pull high enough in which case the bar falls back to the ground and you walk away, and should you miss a jerk... the bar fall to the ground and you walk away, even after ridiculous failed saves... the bar falls to the ground and you walk away. throw someone who doesn't know what they are doing into any sport and watch them get hurt. as for weightlifters getting pushed steroids from a young age... of course doping is a problem in this sport, its a problem in every sport but yes more prevalent in this one, no successful program forces children to dope because physiologically its the most dumb thing you could do, no successful program would give athletes steroids until they were at least an advanced lifter either, simply because you would have basically the same result without them until that point. Steroids also more often than not cause muscle growth to rapidly leading to tendon and ligament tears, what idiot do you honestly think would give a child steroids so as to drastically increase chance of permanent injury for no noticeable gain. its also not complicated to understand, if the bar ends up over your head and your holding its probably a good lift. Its just hard to do, like literally everything at the elite level. one of the greatest weightlifters of all time is Lu Xiaojun, who started lifting late, is from a country Americans tend to think is shady, and is basically proven to not be on drugs just because his career is so long that if he was he would have torn something by now, on top of that steroids result in infertility more often than not and the guy has two kids, some Olympic lifters have been tested as many as 23 times a month, as much as a problem as it is, countries will do stupide things sometimes, and so will coaches/athletes, but its not like everyone in Russia's mother was on arms before they were born and then they were put on PED's right after birth. Besides... in America alone 1. steroid use is more accepted by adolescence and more widely used than ever before weather your in sports or not doesn't even really mater just ask any high school teacher. 2. if a kid thinks he'll never be good without steroids he will never be successful at any sport and i don't really care if he gets into weightlifting to be honest.

[@Tim_flips]

The jury at the olympics this year has been nuts. Incredibly harsh, inconsistent, absolutely destroying the sport.

[@ni.fatcat]

And not only on lifting.

[@cm_x7235]

Well they’re ran by Iranians so.. if you’re not aware of the political climate in that country it should be of no surprise they value themselves over others 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@StevenAlwine]

It's been brewing since the 2019 worlds, when nearly any shoulder/elbow shakes resulted in a trip to the jury. It's absolutely bonkers. I can't imagine the pressure of know you have to be explosive, but anything that might cause the bar to crash down on you at all and might cause an elbow or shoulder to not stay in perfect lockout. It's been a bananas past couple of years in weightlifting, and I agree w/ Zack, it makes the sport seem as inscrutable where the go/no go comes down to "their elbow wiggled, I guess." Any other sport has some kind of scoring system to take into account imperfections.

[@randygentry2442]

The goal everywhere is to eliminate all traditions...that’s olympics,NBA ,NFL,MLB ,horse racing,Strawberry festival,Surfing any thing that you used to do...It’s all being replaced or removed that’s the goal...don’t get it twisted the excuses don’t make since cause the truth is the truth here.

[@fluffstuffpootiebean1688]

Do they even lift brah?

[@wxrmths]

This rule is beyond archaic. It detracts from everything weightlifting is supposed to be. Solid video ZT.

[@Dad_Lyon]

I've seen people have their successful lifts taken away and didn't understand before this video. And apparently it's this. Ridiculous.

[@uoislame]

imagine if they said "oh that long 100m time doesn't count because you naruto ran"... like, do they fear someone doing a press out is going to somehow beat everyone and invalidate the "real" technique?

[@GeneralSouL99]

bro the naruto running technique is op and you know it.

[@raLLoD1]

The naruto run would be instantly banned as it would break all the speed records

[@TheWatchman1893]

I had to look that one up, how many children watching cartoons also watch weightlifting ?

[@gracefool]

@@TheWatchman1893 don't you know, childhood is endless now, perpetual adolescence is the norm

[@ConeTheBoss559]

@@TheWatchman1893 That comment was pretty childish

[@austinlay7392]

Seeing Kim's reaction to that absurd call was fucking heartbreaking.

[@DJ-jq8if]

3:53 hits the nail on the head. A press out does not put you at any advantage.

[@Khrizcspell]

Thank you. I've had this opinion for a long time. Glad someone with good reputation is saying it out loud.

[@tylorstreett7824]

They let us grind in powerlifting, knees caving, cat backing, vomiting on the platform, so long as the bar starts and finishes where it's supposed to. Max effort is rarely pretty.

[@JHMninja89]

Powerlifting doesn't allow you to hitch the deadlift.

[@kademcgill2599]

@@JHMninja89 Touché

[@I_recommend_suicide]

Unlike those other things hitching is actually advantageous, I think that's the relevant distinction. Micromanaging technique can be justified to prevent a dangerous race to the (mechanically efficient) bottom. We pause in the bench because if we didn't we'd be competing to see who could make his ribcage into the best trampoline, and that's bound to end poorly. What most PL feds get mostly right and WL (apparently) is getting wrong is not sweating pointless nonsense that would change nothing and hurt nobody if it were to be allowed.

[@twirdman2]

@@JHMninja89 Strongman does though. Strongman allows almost anything as long as weight starts and finishes in the right place. Except double dipping in the viking press. That rule is dumb and needs to change.

[@Cutter_Number_30]

I was gonna say take it a step further to strongman. Look at world records in strongman. If a ref like big z or Magnus ver calls a lift good then it is good and that is that. People online will complain to no end but the lift is good. This is what I like about strongman compared to WL or even PL. it simplifies things just a little more in this sense of calling lifts.

[@deebop3539]

This video explains a lot. I’ve been fooling around with weightlifting adjacently to my regular strength training for months now, slowly getting more into it. I just learned of the press out rule after watching a clip of the American women’s heavyweight lifter get called on what appeared to be a clean lift. You’ll never get casual fans to understand and go along with this rule. Thanks for the video.

[@mobea2]

This video is SO good to see! Love your simple honesty!

[@kaaloawara72]

What made me sick during that session was the jury overruling Korea's good lift into no lift and overruling Ecuador's clearly no lift to good lift. Along with press out rule, the sick jury must be removed as well.

[@dpeden2130]

Q: How many people does it take to make a lift? A: 9 - the athlete and the 8 people getting paid

[@kaionunes7162]

Athlete: Are you guys actually being paid to do that ?

[@roger-huynh]

Shi Zhiyong's second attempt for example... absolutely harsh and ridiculous call for it to not count when it was an incredible save and made lift

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

first squat jerk ever to be called as a press out, imagine being called for pressing out the bar when you literally cant, its actually impossible

[@basedstruggler3436]

That was one of the most incredible lifts I’ve ever seen

[@roger-huynh]

@@scottcrosswhite7865 yeah insane

[@roger-huynh]

@@basedstruggler3436 he has done even crazier saves when he was only 18

[@wellknownstoic3567]

Ayy funny seeing you here Roger

[@XXLRebel]

You phrased it perfectly at the end. If someone is standing to face the crowd with the weight overhead it means they made the lift. They overcame the weight and conquered it. To then strip someone of that feeling and medal because "it was pressed out" is just ridiculous. It's like the person who made up this rule has never even attempted weightlifting.

[@09thespecialone]

Weightlifting is also a skill sport. Not juste brute strength. If they (weightlifters) want to be allowed to press, they can beg the IWF to bring back the Press. If not the case, just stick to the rule.

[@jeffriggins9106]

Bring back the clean and press damn it !

[@XXLRebel]

@@09thespecialone You're never gonna be able to press more than you jerk anyway. Did you even watch the video? It's technical as fuck already. It's not a dance choreography...

[@09thespecialone]

@@jeffriggins9106 Yes and you? Press < snatch < jerk. That's the correct order. A press out is usually at least a "quarter" press.

[@XXLRebel]

@@09thespecialone A press out is usually one elbow which is not fully locked out which then gets locked out after the bar is overhead. It's not a quarter press in the slightest.

[@drakescakes5629]

I think the jerk is a great lift but somebody strait up strict pressing or even push pressing 200+ kg is much more impressive.

[@samuelrussell5760]

Completely agree on the clean and jerk. There is really no reason to be disallowing press outs. Frankly, the clean and jerk could literally just be a lock it out overhead any way you can and it would probably not change much from what you see now and the judging would get much simpler. Snatch is probably more complicated. The definition of what is a snatch and what isn’t is sort of complex no matter how you slice it. You might be able to simplify it by just requiring that the bar never rest on your body, but I wouldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t end up being some weird results and new techniques. But that might not be bad, on the other hand.

[@lukebbuff]

Thanks for this! The over complicating of rules across all strength sports, to me, is one of the biggest problems undermining what is otherwise one of the purest tests of human performance out there. What makes weightlifting, power lifting, and track and field such great sports is the complete objectivity of the feat and ease of comparison. Anything that impedes that should be tossed out.

[@ChrisTLiuo]

Screw it. They should make more rules and have everybody do a snatch and C&J using the Smith Machine. Then have new weight categories every year.

[@madmaxski]

We need more ammonia, heavy metal, bar slamming, and blood in weightlifting

[@alpine7313]

That's already a sport, it's called Strongman

[@alexwalker4284]

Yes

[@WattAve]

Yeah, like Alpine said, you might be looking into the wrong sport for that 😂

[@madmaxski]

@@WattAve if I wasn't 5'5" maybe I would have picked up strongman instead of weightlifting haha

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

@@madmaxski yea I'm 6 foot 3... maybe if I was 200 pounds heavier and ok with that I would have picked up strongman instead of weightlifting

[@coachcoopfitness]

Spam the IWF page, USAW, whoever, anyone, everywhere, lets get rid of this stupidass subjective rule that only creates an extra barrier to entry in an already obscure sport.

[@skater15153]

When I saw some of the no lifts from this I was equally baffled and glad you had a video on it. I was mad that a small SMALL elbow bend got red lights.

[@ronbrinker8190]

I'm a powerlifter who watched weightlifting for the first time in the Olympics this year simply because the USA had a good team. Watching athletes from all over the world get a lift turned down because of the tiniest bit of wobble in the elbow was mind blowing. Your take is dead on, Zack.

[@jmcsquared18]

Olympic judges are the most unreasonably harshest people on earth. Every time I watch an incredible lift get called back for slightest flicker, I want to jump out a window. Thanks for this excellent rant 👏

[@Altigue]

Feels like we are finally getting the ball rolling with this one. I’m glad. It’s very apparent whether the lifter was strong enough to make the lift or whether the weight was so heavy they had to “press” the bar…

[@FumerieHilaire]

I've never understood this rule when you see a lifter making a lift by pacing all over the platform, back, forwards and to the side even, even twirling around. But the don't make the lift because their elbow was a bit twitchy or their elbows just don't lockout the same way other lifters do.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Yea it makes zero sense

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@Jonathan-A.C. cool pfp

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@mihailmilev9909 Thank you

[@thebeyonder4113]

That German guy in 81 A too, absolutely mugged.

[@ti8864]

Nico lifted way more proper than Maurus. I think without the jury he had taken the 4th place.

[@jackemarleeyoung]

The rule that irks me the most, is still having hands on the bar as it returns to the ground, even after 3 white lights…

[@ErikTails]

what? are you talking about powerlifting?

[@jackemarleeyoung]

@@toximan2008 man, it really got under my skin… but rules are rules. Even if they are somewhat dumb at first glance.

[@jackemarleeyoung]

@@ErikTails weightlifting.

[@SamuelgStafford23]

@@ErikTails its a weightlifting rule where for both the snatch and clean and jerk you can't just drop it from overhead once you get buzzer, you have to keep your hands on the bar until it is below shoulder height

[@ErikTails]

@@SamuelgStafford23 damn is this real? what a stupid rule

[@wayneduplessis7270]

Do it brother, you've got support 💯

[@dp4831]

Love what you do for this extremely athletic and phenomenal sport!!

[@admiral_v]

Awesome video!!! Jury were ridiculous!!!

[@slothbin]

I don't think the pressout rule should be abolished, rather it needs to be amended. Something like, if the jerk is caught overhead with bent arms and then the arms are extended (the slow pressout you sometimes see), it would be a no lift. But if the jerk is caught with straight arms and then a rebend of the elbows occurs (the kind of elbow flicker you always see), then this should be allowed. Something along those lines anyway. It still is quite subjective though.

[@09thespecialone]

Agreed.

[@nelocarbon3284]

Thank you!!! This video is very important and long overdue

[@BigZ7337]

It has been so weird and sad watching the weightlifting, where the people celebrate making the lift, and then the judges steal the lift from them. Honestly it seemed like they've been extra hard on the Americans, stealing silver medals from them. The one woman had her lift removed because she apparently dropped it before it came down to her chest or something like that? Like she didn't follow the bar down enough? Also, I'd love to see your breakdown of the Silver vs Bronze +87 KG Women's Event. Sarah Robles had what looked to be a perfect lift in the final clean and jerk that wasn't counted, but the British Lifter had a horrible lift where she almost fell of the platform and her elbow was shaking like crazy but they gave her the lift. All of the judging just seemed so odd for a lot of the weightlifting events in these Olympics.

[@doandaihiep8515]

It's not just the americans. These nutsacks have been doing it to everybody since they started implementing the rule.

[@Franklin-zc2jo]

That was a tough call and I agree with you it was wrong but Katherine Nye in the 76kg did actually win silver. Her lifts were around PB level and she placed 14kg below the gold medalist so think the bad call was ultimately was inconsequential to the final medal result.

[@SamuelgStafford23]

The Australian got the luckiest call ever too, she thought it was a press out so didn't celebrate but it got passed

[@Jackdackster]

@@Franklin-zc2jo well no because she had a lift removed and the winner had a lift over which she had no control validated, so the gap would have been far smaller, so she could have made a 3rd attempt at lower than 148 to try for the gold…

[@Franklin-zc2jo]

@@Jackdackster sure anything is possible but she was already behind in the snatch and the gold medal winner was really in a class of their own so I really doubt she could have taken gold

[@matijakerkoc4809]

Thank you! Finaly someone said it loud.

[@AndreasNilsson96]

Beautiful rant!

[@randomOAS7]

The very next lifter after the Korean lifter in that session also had a lift go to jury review. Her lift was OK'd. I couldn't see a difference, and it definitely didn't make sense to me at the time. Glad I wasn't imagining that.

[@bartlunatyk]

To be fair, I don't really care about weightlifting as I'm more into powerlifting/strongman stuff. But man...I really do enjoy your content! You're the voice of reason and really a down to earth persona. I actually watch your videos due to all the information and interesting opinions.

[@helixreckoning4475]

This is a couple years old now but still quite relevant in 2024. Great video essay on the topic.

[@barkbarkshark3797]

The literal only reason I have ever thought that the rule was implemented was for the sake of competition. A lifter who can perform a jerk at the same weight as their competition cleanly and without a press out arguably deserves more credit for the lift than one who requires pressing out for the lock out. One lifter is objectively demonstrating better technique and power if you don't need the press out. I had always thought it was for scoring purposes for that exact scenario. But the fact that it gets you red lights is an absurdly harsh punishment and discouraging to some of my athletes with issues in their elbows or upper body strength. They can keep it in the event of a tie imo, but to earn reds and bomb out cause the judges think your elbows get too groovy is awful. Love the vid Zack

[@TehRealChruZ]

Imagine Lasha snatches 227 and then presses out on the 273 jerk for 500, ha

[@Ladonko2009]

"if someone stands with the bar overhead, with the crowd facing them, and it's the Olympics, that should be a made lift!" Nail hit on the head by Thor's 🔨 !! Was watching the sessions yesterday with my girlfriend and we were both of the same mind. "How is it an advantage? Why disallow the lift? Do these judges need to justify their existence by turning down lifts? Because it seems like except for the pressout, this sport can literally exist without judges at all!

[@ah7027]

still have dirty cleans, bounces before jerking and elbows tapping the knees in the clean. so there are reasons a judge exists.

[@Ladonko2009]

@@ah7027 Here comes the literal dissection of comments police. It's like Zack said, it's 99% of what these judges turn down, so please point out the 1% we've already accounted for. I'll amend my comment for you, they do next to nothing instead of nothing. Is that better? Can you detect sarcasm or are you the kind of person who needs to be explained when something is a joke, said in jest or not literal?

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

@@ah7027 true but elbow taping the knee can result in wrist breaking and double dipping gives a clear advantage, although in a different world double dipping is allowed and no one ever misses a jerk again so no one cares about press outs

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

@@22448824 i actually had no idea that was the case so thanks for teaching me something new, still though i kind of see why elbow hitting the knee is bad simply because of safety, however, if it actually maters your breaking your wrist either way right so if you don't break your wrist and have the ability to save it then why not give that person the lift right, the way i see it is that if a lifter has the physically ability to make a great save why not let them. On the snatch if your knee touches the ground its a no lift... but can you imagine watching someone save a max snatch after there knee touches the ground. I would personally enjoy that.

[@PRIDECONDITIONING]

100% agree!!!

[@jordanclark9594]

100% agree! It has pissed me off so much that I have turned off the coverage a few times. Absolute nonsense. We want to see people lift large amounts but then we punish people who push themselves to lift more

[@guam58]

Totally agree with you, if you get it up you get it up.

[@mikeeccf]

I'm on board. Been saying this. In FL high school weightlifting, the sport is heavily dependent on volunteer judges who are essentially students or teachers being asked to judge a clean and jerk. You can imagine the disproportion of calls during the jerk let alone a jury at the Olympics not being sure either. Like you said WHO CARES. Athletes who efficiently jerk, will win. Pressing out is a hope and a prayer. Please kick out the press out.

[@JaredTG.]

Yes I've been watching all of seb's video recaps as well. And hearing him talk about that poor lady who was so harshly judged, and then giving similar lifts to her competition. Made me sad man. I had never even heard of this lady before but I just felt so bad for her. I can only imagine she's worked like a son of a bitch for years to get on that stage. Then this happens. Imagine the mental burden after. Id be fucked up for at least a solid month. It's not like Olympic competitors get to redeem themselves after a few months or whatever. A lot can happen in life in four years. I'm sure most never get redemption.

[@withindarkness]

Loved this. You got me all fired up too, lol

[@conormullan4901]

Good man Zack.

[@DonJulio4649]

i think it's stupid too. And sometimes the judges are way too strict. a little wobble in their elbow they get red called.

[@ScarandSimba]

This is how I reacted to weightlifting in Tokyo 2020. Our lifter from Taiwan didn’t make it due to the competition. When we watch the replay, we were like “where the fxxk did he press?”

[@sashapaulino6249]

Im with you 🔥🔥

[@aidanivesdavis]

There's a tendency in people to just go with "the way we've always done things". But WHY do we do things this way? What is the POINT of the rules? IMO, if you can get the bar overhead without hitching it, then it's a good lift.

[@FittestFlatEarther]

This is AWESOME!!!

[@danielparpal2619]

Next video: Kick out the don't-drop-the-bar-too-soon rule, ft Kate Nye 😢

[@cadehilger7533]

Commenting so this vid gets more traction, great content Zack, luv you❤️

[@jolothefighter]

good energy! woop, kickout the presout. 24.8.1

[@busydadrs5608]

The grit required to press out the bar when your technique fails you, is both impressive and a clear indication that the individual has just hit the peak of their capacity. Makes me want to cheer, to see them push so hard to hit the lift and overcome technical inefficiencies through sheer willpower. The only time I could see a judge needed is if an individual jerks instead of snatching, but even the most novicely acquainted with the sport, could instantly tell the difference of those movements.

[@veroniqueoomen4287]

I’ll sign the petition!

[@scottessery100]

great video zack.... you and seb are right.... i hope we will are able to talk about the lifters in 3 years time

[@whitneyfrandsen2384]

Preach Bro!

[@canIshouldI]

If pressing does not present a biomechanical advantage then the rule must go.

[@michaelrozett5016]

As a trainee with elbows who physically cannot lockout, I cannot agree enough. Great video!

[@larryboi2706]

If you have lockout issues it is fine. That is ok according to rules if you tell them

[@Alecks_Martyn]

I 100% agree with you Zack !!!

[@User-gs1dk]

The objective vs subjective argument is the strongest point by far. Weightlifting has the ability to be one of the most objectively pure sports that exists and yet they've created subjective rules that does NOT fix any competitive aspect. Simplified clearly objective rules is the dream of almost all sports and is rarely possible. Most rules come about after some situation arises that could possibly affect the outcome of the competition. This isn't the case with the press out rule as like you stated pressing out only makes things more difficult. This rule only makes the sport worse. Period.

[@EvanPilb]

just came from the 73kg 2020 championship discovering the press out rule. Bout to explode

[@CoachSteveWB]

Damn this reminds me of the video you made, laughing at the judging standards for the CrossFit open, specifically the section stating that a press out will be considered a 'good lift'

[@iain6225]

I agree with you. As long as they can stand up and lockout for about 3 seconds, I'll count the lift

[@mprokop04]

Tela rants are best rants.

[@hamletshero]

Agree with your points completely - what can we do as a community to campaign for this to change?

[@donLennin]

I agree completely. Let's allow the press out. Then let's allow the lifter to support the barbell in his belt and while we're at it and let the lifter supports himself in one knee if he needs it, or in the floor. Then let's add a stool or a bench for the lifter if he needs to sit. Then I think adding a rack would be a great addition.

[@MoralesCorner]

Great video coach. I was watching the live transmission the other day and was appalled as some of the lifters managed to save the lift with some incredible feats of strength yet the judges won't take them for valid because the technique wasn't correct. Had the same feeling you're just mentioning - to press the bar and save the lift is actually harder to do, what does it matter if it's less aesthetic ? The weight went overhead and that should be the end of it ffs

[@johnnycto7576]

This rule seems like a good excuse to rob somebody of a medal.

[@mu0325]

I think it is one of the rules that make weightlifting beautiful. Weightlifting is skill first then strength.

[@09thespecialone]

Modern Weightlifting (post 1972), yes.

[@zegoodtaste490]

Bit late to the party I guess but I don't hate the pressout rule. For some reason when the best of the best enter the stage and even break records there is rarely any doubt that they didn't press the bar overhead, you just know their lift is valid, anyone can see it. For example I've rarely seen lasha lifting and thought "eh there's a little bit of elbow movement here". So if the best of the best manage to break records without the shadow of a doubt, "lesser" weightlifter should manage to lift lesser weight without the shadow of a doubt too. Pick a lighter weight to lift if you don't wanna risk getting called out by the jury.

[@jacobhenderson9605]

As just regular power builder you are the only person that makes oly lifting understandable

[@fg786]

With the snatch you could argue to keep the rule in, as a press out can' t be considered to be part of a fluid motion. With a press out the bar is either on it's way down and the press out prevents that or it is resting meaning for the lifter to hold it in this position with the arms not fully extended until the lift is finished standing up. Otherwise there is additional motion of the bar when it should be already at rest overhead. Maybe for the CJ the same can be argued. You are allowed to rest the bar in the front rack position but otherwise in one fluid motion the bar needs to be moved overhead.

[@ChillinHD]

I think the jury should be gone too, like what is the point of having judges when they don't even make the call

[@scottcrosswhite7865]

i feel like the judges call if there's a mistake in the lift or not, and the jury should be there to say... well yes i saw the mistake too, but the lift was so cool we should give it to them anyway.

[@09thespecialone]

It's a remnant of the Press era in Weightlifting (1928-1972). The rule was putted in place in order to distinguish the pressing motion lift (Clean and Press) and the catching motion lifts (Snatch and Clean & Jerk). Bending and rebending an elbow with a loaded barbell overhead almost to full lock out is indeed a pressing motion movement. A snatch is snatch not a snatch and press. And a jerk is a jerk. Not a jerk and press. Quick lifts are technical lifts for a reason. Each technical lift has its own style which must be mastered by the weightlifter. In a sense, the IWF is right to keep that rule in place by purism.

[@speaker7475]

Yet they refuse to bring back the military press

[@shghuid]

Oh good thing you made this video, me and brother were learning olympic lifts and were struggling with the technicalities of the snatch and muscling through everything. So we wondered if a motha just got on stage and basically just lat raised like 400lbs from the ground into a snatch hold and stood up what the hell would the judges even do.

[@jimmierustler5607]

As much as i celebrated Emily Campbell's fight for Silver (as a brit) i feel for Sarah Robles and her deflated "No? Ok..." after her lift. Also Maddie's last snatch, these lifts look good, they make the lift, you clap, red lights appear then you watch a slow motion replay of an elbow twitching 1mm and a lift taken away, it's a joke.

[@larryboi2706]

Mattie had a clear press out tho

[@jimmierustler5607]

@@larryboi2706 did you not watch the video? we're saying the press out rule is dumb

[@larryboi2706]

@@jimmierustler5607 Yeah I know, but I just meant that it was not a harsh call as it was a clear press out. By your words it sounds as you are surprised their lifts got turned over.

[@jimmierustler5607]

@@larryboi2706 Not really suprised, just annoyed. It's like if you saw a Javelin thrower throw a Javelin 120m and it gets ruled out because he grunted while doing it

[@kelvinn1996]

@@jimmierustler5607 not the same. If you press-out it's a clean and jerk press, not clean and jerk

[@slowianprzyja]

The first time I heard of your channel was in Ramsey Dewey's channel several months ago. I have nothing to do with Olympic Weighlifting but I enjoyed your content to the point where I was really excited about the competition in Tokyo. After watching a few male and female categories, I got kinda confused and a bit disappointed. For a newcomer to this Olympic discipline like me some decisions were hard to understand and ultimately took some of the fun out of it. Especially when the Jury (by itself?) overruled a 2 split majority to accept the attempt. Kim's failed 140kg attempt was the overall sad highlight for me. I will definitely watch the final 100+ categories and would still recommend it to others. But be prepared to be puzzled by some decisions. Edit: I just saw Jin Yunseong's 3rd Snatch attempt with 185kg. And that's what I mean. It's so slight that I is really hard to follow.

[@DJ_NR6]

Good rant!

[@eclipsewrecker]

I think that you made good points. Just like the rule against the elbows touching the knees, the lockout/press out rule is a good injury prevention. I do think that it needs to be adjusted to as long as it’s not a strain. If you really want it to be pure and attract more viewers, then let’s take away rules for how it’s lifted and add in a target in front of the judges and the winner is the one who throws the heaviest weight over the target and hits the judges who are incompetent.

[@catcatcatcatcatcatcatcatcatca]

It would be great to hear the actual reasoning for the rule. The only thing I can think is that it's meant to disable pressing movement before initial locking. Because the only thing besides that is allowing the athlete to take away weight from squad and press it up right after. Which can hopefully be universally seen as a huge disadvantage. Nobody will purposefully unlock their elbows and do a partial press up just so they can lift bit less weight on some part of the squads motion. After the initial locking, any movement is purely a disadvantage and done for balancing.

[@phichau90]

Kim had my heart broken.

[@teddypetrou]

Completely agree 100%. I abhor the pressout as a casual fan (and a participant at one point in time). 1. There is no advantage 2. There is tremendous inconsistency in the judging It absolutely must go. Also the dropping the bar from shoulder height must go.

[@the_third_sun]

Kick out the press out, bring back the clean and press and the world will become a better place.

[@ChumblesMumbles]

Since there is no clean and press anymore, then there is zero reason to attempt to distinguish the jerk from the press (which no longer exists). Certainly the crazy enforcement of the judges and juries in the Olympics this year are underscoring the sheer stupidity of this orthodoxy. Snatch is one move to upright and overhead, C&J is two moves to upright and overhead. Go ahead and try to come up with a more efficient way of achieving that outcome - there ain't one. And some lifters have physical features that sure look like it's not a lockout - just look at poor Bernardin Matam - his snatch overhead position looks like he's pressing out, but it's just the way his arms work.

[@09thespecialone]

Quick lifts by textbook are catching motion movements (snatch and jerk). After you jump under the weight, you catch it with arms fully extended in one fluid motion. Extended arms mean straight elbows. Bending and rebending an elbow is a pressing act. The press out rule is not subjective. And arms proportions have nothing to do with it.

[@markkealy4417]

@@09thespecialone its extremely subjective and nobody mentioned arm proportions

[@bunyip42]

What if we just had Dave Castro setup the judging team? The CrossFit Games1RM Snatch with athletes going head-to-head was pretty cool. Anybody could watch that, easily see who won...

[@JohnSmith-gu2dx]

I hate sports with jurys so removing this rule would really help that. It drives me crazy that you can be a winner based on a subjective decision that could have been made completely differently by another judge or even by the same judge on a different day. Take the karate gold medal winner Ganjzadeh who was knocked out in the final but still won because his opponent "kicked too hard." These sports that are already dying do not need judges to try to make them completely subjective and therefore less entertaining for a common viewer.

[@lordsudbury]

lmfao the Seb Ostr blip

[@ezegroup22]

Thanks for addressing this Zach. I think the press out rule is beyond stupid. I hate seeing hardworking athletes get robbed. 😢

[@osvaldoruiz3826]

The movement must be clean ,,

[@cathymelanson7119]

Solid - well explained and argued point! Rule needs to go!

[@payamsal]

It wasn’t too long ago that weightlifters we’re making fun of crossfit for allowing pressouts

[@kylestevens25]

Excited for the press out removed and USA continuing to place 3,000th in the world in weightlifting.

[@MikeXCSkier]

Your point about how good technique will self-regulate the sport is an excellent one. To build on this point, there is no rule that says a lifter must catch the clean and snatch in a squat. Power cleans and snatches are allowed. So why don't more lifters power their cleans and snatches? Because they won't be able to live as much weight. Side note: Go to a meet where "regular folks" compete and you will see the power versions, but the best lifters at these meets will not be doing the power versions. The clean and jerk should a clean and "overhead anyhow." As for the snatch, this one is tougher because the whole point of the snatch is to lift the bar overhead in one movement. I think some sort of no press-out rule should remain in the snatch. Because the weight used in the snatch is less than in the C&J, lifters with a weaker snatch technique but strong shoulders could potentially adopt a technique where they lift the bar to a height where thy could press out the rest of the way. )FWIW, I am in the category of lifters with a shitty snatch technique but strong shoulders although I'm not sure I have enough athleticism to try something like this.) However, a press out needs to be more than just "twitchy elbows."

[@Guilherme-fd2bw]

There is actually just one rule in weightlifting and thats what you said when you described the lifts. Thats it. They have to be done in one fluid motion. Thats why the pressing out rule exist, to make sure the number of movements is respected. Great rant though, the calls sometimes can be abysmal and thats really saddening.

[@tobiasstrittmatter7549]

Totally agree. The first question is why we need a jury of five people that can over rule 3 referees? In other sports like e.g. tennis, you or the opponent can ask for the video check to see if a rule was broken. It's not only the press out rule. One could also discuss about touching the knee with the elbow at the clean or even the floor with the spine. But what's that jury for???

[@tobiasstrittmatter7549]

Kick out the jury!

[@tobiasstrittmatter7549]

It's like you do your best at work and your boss passes by all the time and changed what just have done. I wonder how the three referees feel all the time they are overruled....not motivating and no trust in their own people. Not attractive to athletes, coaches and spectators. bye the way, even Lyu had a movement in the elbow in the snatch. There was no check from the jury....so not completely consistent as some people here wrote.

[@LarryNieves]

Amen, brother. I've been watching weightlifting for years and these olympics have been by far the worst/harshest and most arbitrary in terms of judging ive seen.