Weightlifting Tips - Increasing Speed Under the Bar

One of the most frequent questions we're asked is how to increase your speed under the bar in both the snatch and the clean & jerk. The key to increasing speed under the bar is to make sure that you reach full extension and finish at the top of the pull, and develop the hip flexor reverse stretch reflex shortening cycle along with your arms to actively pull yourself under the bar. The two drills we like to use to develop this stretch reflex are to start the lift from the power position (position 1), and to pull from a static position off of the blocks, from just below the knee. These drills can also be used with both the snatch and clean & jerk.
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[@ahmednabil9914]

spencer's arm bend is like most international weightlifters. I have this slight arm bend too which is used to bring the bar back stronger and to keep it close after the hit.

[@jotaxc]

Many Thanks for these instructional videos. It is like having a private coach. Absolutely Thankful!

[@Ninolift]

Great video! Thanks for the info!

[@innerchi88]

Thanks for this upload!

[@Perezep101]

Another great video thanks...

[@Roycomedyhour]

Thanks guys I think this will help me a lot!

[@JDeanMurray]

I wish we had a gym like this where I live. Good stuff!

[@garethcrossfit]

Lightbulb moment with this, thanks for this video

[@hakonaurlien2698]

you just earned yourself a subscriber!

[@TonyHuggenberger]

I have taught myself power clean and jerk, squats, clean and snatch for the last six months but I cannot clean and jerk 150 kilos like in the vid. Currently I can clean and jerk 85 kilos without feeling like I am going to die. I am pushing for a 100 kilos clean and jerk. By watching this vid I think I need to go lower to catch the bar for heavy weights. I can squat 150 kilos 1RM tho. Thx for sharing California Strength People. Tony

[@bradsweightlossjourney471]

Great vid. As always! Can younguys post a vid on how tomuse the speed wrist straps when doing the cleans and the snatches? I want to get a pair but I want to know the correct way to use them when doing these olympic lifts. Thanks!!!

[@alexlaukr8414]

After watching this video, I told my wife I didnt suck at the snatch as much. Why is she laughing?

[@thingX1x]

Tell her your better at the jerk, cause it's easier than the snatch. :)

[@sabertoothwallaby2937]

Bro what

[@George_USMC]

Good shit👍

[@jjandbee]

good !

[@tussharakarandy330]

nice video bro

[@TonyHuggenberger]

nice I would love to train there one day

[@jennyschumacher7550]

Rob pulls slightly to get the bar into hip/pocket/first position. (Hip cleaning 101) I have lifters trying to do it, but at their experience level (and for sure mine) I call it an early pull. How to differentiate? In hip extension? Speed? Love your insight. Thanks

[@456japan]

i can't seem to catch the bar on my fingertips. is ok to catch in the palms??

[@javatopp]

THANKS

[@manahaneicetea]

does this cause tightness in the hip flexors? I squat clean often though so it might be it

[@Zstray17]

Rob is a hip cleaner. Do you still suggest starting the pull from below the knees, for those of us who are not? And just bring the bar up with our normal pattern off the thigh?

[@DrGuy0707]

How would you fix the lockput/press out on the jerk. I have recorded myself and I can see a press out and can't seem to fix it?

[@johnytwogunshitler4367]

LOVE THIS CLUB

[@Bzhu94]

Is your last name real?

[@johnytwogunshitler4367]

what diff does it make

[@johnytwogunshitler4367]

Yeah coz i forget im supose to be trolling and my nice personality kicks in when i see things i like

[@xmoneyxno0b]

Squeeze your glutes on the pull and contract abs when dropping under bar. It makes the motion a whole lot smoother plus it adds balance.

[@MrWilson878]

@CaliforniaStrength What is up with that arm bend?!?!/ 1:50

[@XxnkklllllxX]

(cont) as the people from cal strength have mentioned, your feet don't need to leave the ground, they may, but leaving the ground is not a necessity. And at heavier weights it may not even be possible.

[@ChknAdobo]

do you have to slam or stomp your feet on the catch!? i find my form goes to shits when im conscious of trying to achieve this.

[@TheSethrahul]

I am only learning about Oly lifting but it seemed to me that most of these guys had their elbows slightly bent even in the first pull. Is that not a premature pull from the arms?

[@deretano_fondelli]

+Rahul Seth they are hip cleaners

[@deretano_fondelli]

Postermaestro they explained it in a video called "Hip Cleaning 101"

[@qtpie2630]

Cal strength is a joke it should be called cal weakness

[@kreed1004]

riiight

[@Fhshaoaksbd]

A little arm bends alright

[@joedirt3347]

His feet are too far apart. His feet need to start under his hips and then when he explodes from the the hip and the bar floats up his feet need to move to his squat stance, when he catches the bar on his front rack his feet have moved from the inside of the hip to the outside. It's not a lot of movement. However, It is more difficult to generate power from the hips when the feet are spread too far apart.

[@kreyes8605]

Joe Dirt right on

[@theFPbros123]

Joe Dirt that may just be how he feels most comfortable doing the lift, but thanks for the tip coach

[@fLKommotioN]

lots of guys lift pretty quietly, so I'd say no. The main thing is that you're attacking the floor a bit, that doesn't necessarily mean stomp or slam because your toes might never leave the ground and your heels might only be 3 inches off it, if your foot isn't particularly large

[@emmanuelmitchell8649]

would this help someone clean more weight?

[@XxnkklllllxX]

In the video where Rob and Spence demonstrate "hip cleaning" Spencer looks like he has a pretty significant arm bend.

[@Andreze123]

when you do it should your feet leave the floor ?

[@manahaneicetea]

With Rob's technique of hip cleaning slight arm bend I feel in the snatch I can generate alot of force with the hip but the clean I just cant get it into the hips its always high upper thigh should I widen my grip to where it'l meet my hips or slight arm bend Im 5'7 177 just average but i would like to know because It would really help me out Thank you

[@supermario1348]

Jason Manahane sucks nobody ever responded to you. I have a similar problem. The bar hits my thighs. If I move my hands further out I get elbow pain.

[@hogleg8103]

On the clean it's ok if it hits mid thigh. On the snatch it needs to hit you right in the crease of the hip like you are trying to do in the clean right now. So just keep at it mid thigh is fine from what I understand but I'm not a pro at all lol

[@albertohuerta]

Weightlifting noob here. My question is once you are pulling the bar up, are you using your hips to create a 'lift' to help you pull up? because it looks like most of the people are using the hips to push the bar up. Or is that illusion created because of the natural movements of their bodies? If you can clarify, thanks! :) -alberto

[@Lavabug]

Same here, I really don't understand how it works. I've tried imitating it but all I manage to do is push the bar away from me making it impossible to get under.

[@evanlonergan5202]

So the answer to the question is multifaceted. First, "pulling the bar up" is only done during the first part of the lift, from the ground to just above the knees. From that point the lift enters the extension phase, where the athlete will drive through the heels and generate force in the hips. This is where Alberto's question comes into play. Yes, an athlete should use their hips to make contact with the bar which will generate the force to get underneath the weight. From there the athlete drops down into the bottom position, locking out the elbow and shoulders to catch the lift. So essentially yes. What you are seeing is hip drive, and no it is not an illusion.

[@Lavabug]

Evan Lonergan is the pelvis essentially "scooping" up the bar/acting as a platform to lift off of?

[@evanlonergan5202]

Not scooping, but making contact. It does not act as a platform, but does propel the weight. If you are wondering how horizontal movement in the hips equates to vertical movement in the bar there are two things to know. In the triple extension phase, "horizontal" is closer to diagonal in terms of body position. Then, weight on the heels will allow an athlete to get under the bar without loosing the lift out in front. Think of dropping beneath the bar, rather than continuing to pull. It is easier to see the movement in heavier lifters. Check out some slow motion videos on the Hookgrip channel, and pay close attention to the bars relationship with thighs and hips. On the athletes in higher weight classes, the hip contact is powerful.

[@Lavabug]

Evan Lonergan Thanks a lot, I will have a look. I'm still a long way from fully getting it but every bit helps!

[@Glock30Eric]

Ill practice it and get back to you.

[@02COOLKID]

How do i get out of a clean faster?!

[@ahmednabil9914]

rob over-does it. spencer's bend is the healthiest too. and he is the quickest among the three even though he is heavier. but rob bends it like he is rowing. also his recovery in the cleanis REALLY shitty. and his feet dont leave the platform which makes him slower and he catches too high on the clean. right?

[@snakelock2007]

Realness

[@overlordeddie0778]

I just have trouble with getting under the bar. I can thrust it up but I keep trying after that to muscle it up with my arms like an overhead press, instead of getting under it. I think I’m just scared of the weight because I can do it with lighter weights. I know I can life it though.

[@randommajmun]

Holy shit I thought that was spencer cleaning at 1:50 and then I see him sitting on the bench in the background :D

[@kylewattssurfing3266]

Alana Blanchard

[@HTMUxThree]

can someone help with my technique because i have problems with using my hips in the snatch

[@Shattered_heaven]

K

[@aarondelacruz]

Could someone tell me why he always bends his elbows?

[@alanlithgow6596]

I feel stronger from position one than from below the knee or even from the ground! Anyone help explain?

[@Iberstine191145]

Because your hips are able to transfer more power directly to the bar while also having a shorter range of motion to move the bar. Basically, you are using far more power on one specific portion instead of a steadily increasing amount of power through the full clean.

[@Lo2smoove]

Me too

[@kylewattssurfing3266]

YAAAWESOME!!!!!++++:))))))GREAAAT!!!!!!++++:))))))))

[@MohamedMahmoud-ne3kr]

SUSBCRIIIIIIIIIIBED

[@ahmednabil9914]

you will make many mistake thinking that you know how certain things work. trust me It took me some time to realise that and just do EXACTLU what my coach sais. because i thought "that thing must be that way, its physics" or " x lifter does it this way". It was stupid and now after i figured it out. I don't know how my coach put up with me. especially that he refused to charge me.

[@XxnkklllllxX]

So instead of telling where Rob and Spencer differ, what about Rob's recovery is shitty, you look at the two videos that I've ever posted about weightlifting (one of which was a high rep deadlifting video so I don't see how that even applies). Explain to me what is bad about Rob's recovery and why his arm bend is different then Spencer's.

[@windstorminator]

1:52 was that the tip... THE MUSHROOM TIP it must be

[@ahmednabil9914]

how are the extensors going to get you UNDER?? they EXTEND.

[@Glitch120]

Those massive blocks are going to last forever.

[@janetwalker2]

Why don't you use clips on the ends? What if a weight slides down?

[@jessejester5232]

coming from my perspective and the way I train on my technique work I leave the collars off so I can see if I am unstable on one side verses the other .

[@jessejester5232]

but that is only on lighter weights .

[@peterssc12]

If you're feet aren't moving you're doing it wrong. First off your receiving/squat position should be wider (even if only slightly) than your pulling position. Second, the muscles that connect your hip and knee joints pull you under the bar while you're suspended in air. If you're not moving your feet you're not lifting fast enough.

[@mathewanderson7450]

If Rob is cleaning 80ish percent of what he can squat then the hip clean is working for him. That easy people. What is his percentage, it'd have to be close?

[@Scuubs27]

watch "hip cleaning 101" him spencer and donny do it

[@nustada]

No, situps\sitting, causes tight hip flexors. This will help fix tight hip flexors.

[@ahmednabil9914]

because he is a bad technician. there is no getting around it. and the guy who replied to you said that he and spencer do it. no they don't spencer's snatch is not in any way similar to Rob's. spencer is a truly great lifter.

[@Waelderer]

he do Benchpressing

[@ahmednabil9914]

spencer doesnt lift with his arms man the elbow just get's bent a little without the length of the arm decreasing, just unlocking the joint if you may. rob actually rows the bar up. look at the olympians most of them do that "tightening" of the arm to keep tension on the bar for many reasons. being a beginner is not an insult man. look when you are a beginner at this sport specifically, and when you are smart and naturally good with biomechanics--->

[@XxnkklllllxX]

Except, rob, donny, and spencer all bend their arms on the clean, but none of them do it on the snatch

[@XxnkklllllxX]

Also, I listen to coaches, they have my respect by virtue of being my coach.

[@ahmednabil9914]

I watched your videos, you're still a hundred miles away from knowing good and bad technique. you'll get there. If you have a coach.

[@mason717]

Hip flexors? Don't you mean hip extensors (i.e. glutes, not psoas).

[@XxnkklllllxX]

Listen to the video, every time rob cleans you can hear the smack of his feet hitting the ground. Your feet wouldn't leave the ground on a deadlift because that isn't part of the lift, they might leave the ground on a high pull (snatch or clean grip) because you're trying to explode through the hips and utilize triple extension. Again: don't just tell me what spencer does, I can see that. Explain to me what is different about Rob and Spencer's arm bends. Please, you keep calling me a beginner...

[@texanfanfb]

strongest biceps in america lol

[@Waelderer]

he rowing with his arms?! fail?

[@qtpie2630]

Pull faster

[@XxnkklllllxX]

Except you can see his feet leaving the floor in this video. Watching this video Rob is catching the bar high, yes. Probably because he's working with about 150lbs while he regularly C&Js about 350. What about his recovery is shitty? And I'm failing to see the difference between spencer and rob's arm bend, Spencer's looks to start, and finish, in very similar positions

[@PrototypeBMX]

its a clean not a snatch

[@kreyes8605]

His hand placement is kinda too far but that's none of my business..

[@ahmednabil9914]

trust me this is incorrect even if you are deadlifting your feet can leave the ground. It's not like you are jumping up. you are getting under. and you must be faster than the bar. so it's easy to retract those feet to leave the ground. and you said that his feet actually leave the ground? no. this sport is really complicated and you are being stubborn even though you are not even at the beginner level yet. Rob has awful technique. spencer isn't even a hip cleaner he hits high on the thighs

[@loluskekus]

The arm bend is disgusting

[@XxnkklllllxX]

and yet you won't actually try and explain anything. I don't see any significant difference in the arm bend, so SHOW ME.

[@kylewattssurfing3266]

YAAAWESOME!!!!!++++:))))))GREAAAT!!!!!!++++:))))))))