Crashing Bar - Page 2

Greg Everett · 11-19-2008, 10:01 AM

You're definitely swinging the shit out of the bar on your snatches - relax your arms and get those elbows bending out and up when you pull under - you won't be able to do that as the weight gets heavier.

glennpendlay · 11-20-2008, 05:50 AM

Brian,

I think Greg is giving you some great advice. One thing that works for my lifters is to just concentrate on the words "jump and stomp" or "shrug and stomp", or jump and catch" or "shrug and catch" ... different cue words work with different lifters. What this means is to execute the second pull, and immedietly thereafter execute the landing of the feet and the rotation of the elbows. I believe that more often than not, a crashing bar indicates too long a "transition time" between the execution of the second pull and the catch.. either because the lifter continues to pull on the bar for too long, or because the lifter sort of "hangs there" in the air for a split second after pulling, and before executing the catch.

glenn

sarena kopciel · 11-20-2008, 06:12 AM

Did you happen to see goheavy this morning with your youtube footage??
http://goheavy.com/forums/olympic/index.cgi/read/151370
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7jDWTbR_Eg

Brian DeGennaro · 12-08-2008, 09:04 AM

Oh my God this is frustrating. I just can't stop the bar from crashing down on me. To a point I think it would help me if I went under the bar slower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgfBvtj8JI

Arden Cogar Jr. · 12-08-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian DeGennaro

Oh my God this is frustrating. I just can't stop the bar from crashing down on me. To a point I think it would help me if I went under the bar slower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgfBvtj8JI

Brian,
On that one, it looked to me like you jumped forwards You have tons of strength, so that's not the issue.

I think you would benefit from backing off and working the bejesus out of tall movements - or at least doing them as part of your warm ups to program your body to get under the bar.

I've had the same problem as you and I've gotten better doing the fully extended versions (fully shrugged and up on the toes) with the bar and 40 kilos. Then when I go up to 50 kilos with my next warm up move, I start flat footed and unshurgged. I do that at again with 60 kilos. After that, with 70, 80, 90, etc. I do ever descending hang cleans (ie., with 70, it might be from mid thigh, 80 be from above the knee, 90 from below the knee). Until I'm pulling from the floor once I get over 100.

Looking at this last video, people's comments, and early videos, I think your issue, as you have rightfully identified is "meeting the bar" with proper timing. I think the silly stuff I'm doing above might help you engraining the "meeting the bar" with at least some better timing.

Good luck. don't know if any of this helps?

All the best,
Arden

Greg Everett · 12-08-2008, 11:19 AM

Hard to see in that video, but a couple things - first, that clean pulled you forward so you were already set up for a miss like that no matter how well you racked it. Pause the video right as the bar reaches your knees and look at your position - too forward.

I think what's happening is that you're opening up your grip a little to soon, and that's allowing your body to separate from the bar. You can see that you pull it right in close along your chest, but as your elbows begin swing around, your hands open up and all of a sudden this space develops between the bar and your shoulders.

Also, I think your rack position just isn't solid enough - a good rack will withstand a bit of crashing like that - but the moment that bar isn't delivered perfectly, your hands pop out. That suggests that even with the bar settled on your shoulders, that position is just waiting to explode. More front squats, and a lot of emphasis on driving the elbows up - make sure you're not pushing up with the hands.

Brian DeGennaro · 12-08-2008, 12:49 PM

Thanks, Arden. I have been neglecting tall movements in my warmups. I gotta actually write that in the notebook to actually start doing them.

That's the funny thing, Greg, re: FS. I can (and have) do triples with 120 with my elbows completely up the entire time and with a solid grip on the bar. So I should try to maintain my grip on the bar at all times? And should my start be more upright if I'm that way over the bar?

Also, would it make it easier for you to evaluate it if I gave you the raw video?

Greg Everett · 12-08-2008, 02:35 PM

No, don't grip the bar all the way through to the rack position - just longer than you are now. Although, you can try gripping it the entire time temporarily to see if that changes anything - might be a quick way to see if that is in fact the problem.

Your start is fine - but you need to be moving the hips and knees backward slightly as you pull from the floor rather than straight up - that will get you in the position you're in now but with the weight on your heels.

Quicktime video is the best because I can go frame by frame easily.