OHS with broomstick vs. bar

[Spencer Durland]

I am reading Greg Everett's Olympic Weightlifting book and am attempting to hold myself to the more rigorous squat form called for. I have found that dropping my hips all the way down to my calves is coming along pretty well in the back and front squat but not in the overhead squat.

The strange thing I've found is that my form is much better with an empty bar than with a broomstick. This is somewhat true for the back and front squats, but very true for the OHS. With a broomstick, I seem to roll onto the outside edges of my feet, whereas with an empty bar I feel more firmly planted. I have long legs, and so decided to try adjusting my feet wider, but doing this makes me feel like all the pressure is on my hip flexor/groin. I lift (and do everything else) in Vibrams, and I'm wondering whether sitting the hips all the way to the calves is going to require flexibility training, shoes with a lifted heel, foot placement adjustment, or some other remedy. Thanks in advance.

[Brian DeGennaro]

Definitely get lifting shoes; anything else is just foolish to lift in unless you are a REALLY proficient lifter (ie - Olympic hopeful). The shoes make a world of a difference. If you don't have them or can't afford them, lift in loafers.

And yes, an empty bar is easier because it has some weight and you can't always manipulate it however you want. It is better to practice with than an empty bar. My suggestion has always been to drop a dowel as soon as possible because it is manipulated easiest.

[Steven Low]

Vid yourself or get someone to critique you (who knows what they're doing). Fastest way to progress.

And yes, trash your broomstick... it's better to have some weight so you know how it feels and it lets you know if you're going wrong. With PVC/broom you generally can't tell and it will mess with you.

[Garrett Smith]

Get OL shoes, use the empty bar (even a 35# bar will work wonders).

[Spencer Durland]

Awesome, thanks a bunch guys. I'm sure there's plenty of threads about what OL shoes to get, so I'll look into that.

[Blair Lowe]

Also, a bar with some weight will allow for a better rack position than a piece of PVC. Eventually, it just is too light to give any feedback for any basic lift or the drills.

It can't be too heavy for someone new to the lifts, which is why the 15, 25, 35 pound bars can be good ).

Last year, I noticed I was getting a lot better drilling out of using the empty bar instead of the PVC and besides I can use it as a warmup rotation of FS, BS, SLDL, PP, Snatch balance, GM, etc.