The Start Position in the Snatch and Clean

[@diemme568]

As an experienced weightlifter (58 YO) form Italy, regarding point (3) in the video: it isn't common to be "too tight" in the thoracic section of the spine: quite the opposite. See, the model athlete is actually doing *well* , even when she's supposed to be in a _wrong starting position_ . I get it: you want to avoid overarching at the LUMBAR portion (this would mean you're not tight at all in your abdominals) but the vast majority of newbies really cannot be "too tight" up at the scapular level I've always had more success in cueing "think: >" to instill the "big chest at thoracic level" position that's NECESSARY in order to pull efficiently during the second pull. The difficulty most newbies face is maintaining the "whatddeheck.." throughout the first pull, to get into a decent stance at the start of the second pull (right above the knees). I find this automatically corrects the tendency to fall back into the heels (often associated with letting go of the T-spine) too soon. Then (only then) a _bit_ towards the heels isn't bad, it potentiates the second pull, I find. Good video, though ! keep up the good advice ! 🙂

[@amandalim8733]

Thank u for the insightful video! Definitely learnt a lot! How do l keep my lats engaged without over tightening them? I feel like l always over Emphasize on lats engagement but how do we gauge when it's too "tight"? I tend to engage them like how l would in a deadlift, is that right?

[@ProjectLiftUSA]

Amanda - Think of it like this... With our lats we keep the bar from moving away from us... but, if our lats are pulling the bar / rowing it into us... we're too tight. The bar will come with us from the floor because our lats are set and as we push with our leg since the lats are set the bar is unable to swing away from us off the floor. Chances are if you're engaging them as you would a deadlift they are too tight and your upper body is too rigid... I hope this helps.

[@harleymbaldwin]

Thanks Drew (and Chelsea!); so are you both of the opinion that the bar MUST be touching the shins at the start (as per Chad Vaughn)? OR...do you believe that having the bar in contact at the start "forces" the knees back too soon (to get the bar out of the way)? I'm experimenting with both lately - and, does having size 11.5 feet factor into the equation at all?!

[@ProjectLiftUSA]

No, we don't believe the bar has to touch the shin at the start. We are all of different limb lengths, and that truly sets up whether the shin and the bar will touch at the start. We also don't believe that the bar touching the shin will force the knees back too soon either. The knee movement off the floor is a mechanic of how someone is pushing with their legs from the floor. We bring focus to the bar being over the base of the big toe/ball of the foot area at the start and the athlete sitting to the bar. And, we've never run into someones foot size messing with that starting point. Hope this helps brother!

[@DennyElvey]

I’ve just started weightlifting, teaching myself. I’m having sore shoulders from the snatch. Is this normal for new lifters or am I likely doing something wrong? Any advice is really appreciated.

[@ProjectLiftUSA]

Sore shoulders can mean a lot of things, and that makes it difficult to tell you if it is normal soreness or if you're doing something wrong. If the soreness is sharp this isn't good and I recommend getting the support of a coach, PT or chrio to help you through the process. If the soreness is dull and if both shoulders are equally sore than this could point to normal adaptation of the muscles... a normal part of the process. Check out our overhead mobility video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ6mgYyCpbKofc0 and try some of the exercises in there to see if they help, listen to your body and adjust your volume coming into the olympic lifts at a pace that allows your body to adapt. Hope this helps!

[@DennyElvey]

@@ProjectLiftUSA thank you very much for your reply. I will have a look at the video you’ve linked now. I’m thinking I likely do need to find coaching. The soreness is in both sides equally hurts most if my arms go out to the side not so much up and down. Thanks again appreciate you taking your time to reply

[@ProjectLiftUSA]

@@DennyElvey If you want to learn these movements, get strong in them and move well all with a body that feels great, we can help you. The next step would be to setup a call to discuss where you're at, your goals, and see if it'd be a good fit - www.project-lift.org/discovery-call