Need help w/ clean & snatch pulls...

[David Boyle]

Been doing the basic cycle from catalyst athletics...on 2nd week now.

Everything is feeling good, but the pulls are getting me.

How high are the pulls supposed to be?

This week was supposed to be 95% of snatch/clean...and I was barely able to get any height on it

Can't access the videos on here because I'm deployed and the internet is crappy...

Questions..

1. Should I pulling so hard that I end up on my toes?
2. How high should pulls be?
3. Would straps help?

Thanks.

[Greg Everett]

Heavy pulls will not go very high at all - in fact, you will usually be wondering how you could have ever possible snatched or cleaned that weight before.

Yes, coming up onto your toes is fine, just don't over-emphasize it. It's not meant to be a calf raise, but extending the ankles is a natural part of the movement.

Pulls should be just focused on a complete extension of the body - worry about your body position rather than the height of the bar. No arm bend in pulls, although you can break the elbows a bit and guide them out to give the bar somewhere to go besides forward if you've put a lot of speed on it. High-pulls will have you trying to get your elbows up as high as you can.

Yes, use straps. Usually without straps, grip insecurity will limit how much speed you can put on the bar.

[David Boyle]

Thanks Greg, thats helps out a lot. You gave me some confidence, because I did not know what I was doing really...lol.

I'm going to buy some straps today and give those a try on my next pull day. I imagine doing a lot of those will get you those beasting traps like Klokov...haha.

Thanks again.