Olympic Lift- how did you ever get the form right?

jacklis
jacklis Posts: 280 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I recognize I am only 1 week in to this new goal and realize everything takes time- but I really want to get this form down and it is testing my mind /muscle connection like nothing before. I can't seem to get the bar past my knees without loosing form. I stick my butt out, rotate my hips back, thrust my chest forward, but not being able to use my legs to lift is soooo weird.
Right now we are focusing on getting the bar up to rest across the shoulders/collar bone, not even into the overhead part.
I have mastered a deadlift (my trainer's words not mine) and now I feel like I am doing everything the way I am not supposed to. I hate feeling like I don't know what I am doing, and am just looking for advice from people who may have gone through this before and it finally clicked.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/thoughts/ideas that helped this work for you.

Replies

  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    Not sure what lift you are talking about from your description. :)

    Starting Strength has a great description of how to learn a Power Clean, and many of the same pulling mechanics translate across to the other Olympic lifts.

    Edited to add: Lots of practice with a very light weight can help get form down while preventing injury. Good luck, the Olympic lifts are great!
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
    Sorry- probably not a good descriptor- but thanks for the referral- and the encouragement.
    the Power Clean is the foundation lift I was trying (uselessly) to describe.
    Yes, light weight is where it's at right now (much to my disappointment) but honestly could not manage much more than 10lb plates since it's all new.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Starting Strength has a great description of how to learn a Power Clean, and many of the same pulling mechanics translate across to the other Olympic lifts.

    Edited to add: Lots of practice with a very light weight can help get form down while preventing injury. Good luck, the Olympic lifts are great!

    Agreed on both accounts.

    Also, Mark Rippetoe also has some good youtube vids on form.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Lots of practice with light weight...the power clean is a pretty technical move...a lot of people forgo it for that very reason.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    Olympic lifts are the snatch and the clean and jerk.

    These lifts are very technical. I take an Olympic Lifting class a couple of times a week. If you are really interested in Olympic lifting, I would suggest maybe finding a gym in your area which focuses on these lifts and finding a good coach.

    I find it helps watching other people and having feedback from experienced coaches.

    There is always room for improvement and can take a long time to "master" (if you ever do). I've been doing these classes for over a year and still have lots to work on in the technique. You get one portion of the lift down and realize that something else needs work. Lots of stuff to remember for a lift that takes a couple of seconds to execute.
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
    These lifts are very technical. I take an Olympic Lifting class a couple of times a week. If you are really interested in Olympic lifting, I would suggest maybe finding a gym in your area which focuses on these lifts and finding a good coach.

    I won't be able to switch gyms at this stage, as I signed up with my trainer for another year, with the expressed purpose of focusing on Olympic lifting.
    I do think he is a good coach, and trust him to help me get as far as I can over the next year but you have given me something to think about for the next stage.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    These lifts are very technical. I take an Olympic Lifting class a couple of times a week. If you are really interested in Olympic lifting, I would suggest maybe finding a gym in your area which focuses on these lifts and finding a good coach.

    I won't be able to switch gyms at this stage, as I signed up with my trainer for another year, with the expressed purpose of focusing on Olympic lifting.
    I do think he is a good coach, and trust him to help me get as far as I can over the next year but you have given me something to think about for the next stage.

    Well then, what you need is patience. Olympic lifting can be frustrating at times, but I love it.

    A couple of lifts to help with the clean are clean pulls and front squats. For the snatch, I practice overhead squats and drop snatches.

    I also like the snatch and jerk jokes.
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
    These lifts are very technical. I take an Olympic Lifting class a couple of times a week. If you are really interested in Olympic lifting, I would suggest maybe finding a gym in your area which focuses on these lifts and finding a good coach.

    I won't be able to switch gyms at this stage, as I signed up with my trainer for another year, with the expressed purpose of focusing on Olympic lifting.
    I do think he is a good coach, and trust him to help me get as far as I can over the next year but you have given me something to think about for the next stage.

    Well then, what you need is patience. Olympic lifting can be frustrating at times, but I love it.

    A couple of lifts to help with the clean are clean pulls and front squats. For the snatch, I practice overhead squats and drop snatches.

    I also like the snatch and jerk jokes.
    Clean pulls, overhead squats are in the plan right now, and I have been doing front squats like cahrazy (can front squat 135lb and back squat 155lb).
    edited to add that my trainer warned me I would often be frustrated, but he thought that with my personality I would find that motivating.
    as for the snatch and jerk jokes- this is the shirt my hubby thinks would be good.
    http://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/154036964/i-clean-i-jerk-and-i-have-a-nice-snatch?ref=shop_home_active
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    http://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/154036964/i-clean-i-jerk-and-i-have-a-nice-snatch?ref=shop_home_active

    I love the shirt... but I don't know about how nice my snatch is. It can be pretty ugly at times, My goal is to have a pretty snatch.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Watching videos on form and just practice. There was a website, probably still there, that was something like Olympic Lifting .com and they had plenty of videos, Google it and see what you get. Breaking down the lifts, like the "Clean", into section and practicing the sections is a great way to do that. Charles Staley has good video on that for lifts like the Clean and you can apply the same principle to all of them. Practice, Practice Practice... :) good luck!
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
    http://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/154036964/i-clean-i-jerk-and-i-have-a-nice-snatch?ref=shop_home_active

    I love the shirt... but I don't know about how nice my snatch is. It can be pretty ugly at times, My goal is to have a pretty snatch.

    Well, since I'm a girl I can wear it before I get good at the Olympic snatch... :wink:
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    I watch loads of youtube videos by loads of different people. Different cues, different ways of explaining the lift - something will resonate with you and will help you when you go to try them out again.
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
    I watch loads of youtube videos by loads of different people. Different cues, different ways of explaining the lift - something will resonate with you and will help you when you go to try them out again.

    This sounds like a weekend project for me- I am totally excited- a good excuse for not doing housework!. :drinker:

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