Follow-up: Foot Position for Olympic Lifts

DID YOU KNOW? (FOOT POSITION) - by Waxman's Gym

I found this gem of an article published by Waxman's Gym (Lawndale, CA) which describes why "toes pointed slightly out" for weightlifting is biomechanically sound.

As stated in the article (linked above):

"With your toes slightly out, your hip flexors gain some slack which allows better pelvic tilt, better lumbar position, and a more vertical torso.  Toes-out also allow the bar to start closer to your body since your knees and shins (tracking in the directions of your toes) will not be quite as far forward."

This article serves as a follow-up to the post I drafted about foot position in the set-up of the snatch titled "Snatch Set-up (Part 2): Foot Position".  What's missing in my write-up are the specific reasons regarding body positioning in relation to the barbell and inherent biomechnics, and the above linked article does a great job at providing technical explanations supporting a slightly toes-out foot position.

Snatch Set-up (Part 2): Foot Position

“90% of all missed lifts performed in competition could be traced to the feet.” (1)

[Photo credit: “Learning the Olympic Lifts: The Stance” by Mike Burgener with Tony Budding, reference (1)]

As I start to help coach novice athletes with weightlifting, I’ve noticed huge improvements with lifting by correcting the starting position of the lift.  As such, I’m drafting a series of blog posts about the starting position of the snatch in order to better understand the most efficient set-up for the olympic lifts.  I feel the best place to start is to consider foot positioning, and what follows is a brief write-up regarding foot placement considerations for the beginning weightlifter.

The pictures above show proper foot placement for both the starting (pull) and ending (catch) of the lift.  The figure on the left focuses on the lifter’s foot width and angle in the set-up (top left picture) and catch (bottom left picture) of the snatch.  The figure on the right shows relation of the foot position relative to the entire body position in the set-up (top right picture) and the catch (bottom right picture) of the snatch.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

“Athletic performance and preparation are typically impaired when an athlete is sore or injured.  Thus, any practice that limits the extent of damage or hastens recovery would be of interest and practical value to the coach, trainer, or therapist.”                                                                                                                                                 - Connolly (linked below)

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is defined as the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise.  The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after exercise and is caused by eccentric (lengthening) exercise, which causes microtrauma to the muscle fibers. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness)

Research

Here are two articles I found interesting with regards to researching DOMS – the mechanism for injury and pain, training considerations after experiencing DOMS, and common prevention/treatment strategies:

Snatch Set-up (Part 1): Overview

In the coming weeks I plan on releasing a series of short, easily understandable blog posts about the snatch starting position in weightlifting.  I want to take you through my research as it pertains to the snatch starting position in hopes that you can learn along with me, peeling back layer by layer of the set-up to my favorite lift.

What I hope to accomplish is to first paint the general picture of what a proper set-up should look like (Part 1), then dive into specific aspects of the set-up such as foot position, shoulder position, hip angle, etc.  The goal is to provide the reader with resources from knowledgeable and/or informed sources, supported by science if and when possible, about all things related to the most efficient starting position.

As I dive into targeted research about different aspects of the starting position, my hypothesis is that certain considerations (such as hip angle) may ultimately differ from athlete to athlete due to bio-mechanical considerations (i.e., length of femur, total height, etc.).  An aim of this research, however, is to expose the most efficient starting position for the average athlete to highlight this as an ideal for each lifter.  My hopes are that we can all analyze our current starting position, understand where we need to be for maximum efficiency (the “ideal set-up”), then dissect why there may be differences between where we are and where we need to be – for example, is your ankle mobility holding you back from achieving a better set-up?  I will do my best with including remedies for poor positioning considerations when available.

So let’s look at a few starting positions snagged from a good ol’ Google search.

Exhibit A: Bryan Diaz – Starting Position (Snatch)

http://fubarbell.tumblr.com/post/47701459780/bryan-diaz-2012-crossfit-games-competitor

Why Pay Attention to Form During a Workout?

Good form = good workout.

Better form = better workout.

The O-Face in Weightlifting

[Photo: http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=37]

I’ve noticed many weightlifters (“olympic weightlifters”) open their mouths wide right before starting the lift.  This made me wonder if there was a true purpose to this practice or if people were merely mimicking what they saw in a few experienced lifters.  After researching the interwebs and discussing the topic with a few credible lifting sources, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s a little bit of both.

O-Face with a Purpose

My research shows the wide open mouth just prior to lifting has a legitimate purpose regarding breathing.  This coincides with what many advanced lifters have told me: that they open their mouths wide to draw in a large, lung-filling breath.  According to Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics, the weightlifter should draw in a large breath just prior to lifting to maintain “the structural integrity of the torso while under heavy loads”*.  Stated as such in his article titled “Breathing and Breath Control for Olympic Weightlifting”, Everett expands on the need for a large, deep breath prior to lifting:

Shiny Object Syndrome: Purposeless Workouts Impede Goal Achievement

I enjoy exercising, working out, training, weightlifting, etc.  My enthusiasm comes from the endorphins that pump mid- and post-workout, from the goal setting and goal achievement aspect, from the love of the barbell and how “200 lbs. is always 200 lbs.” [quote by Henry Rollins*].  Unfortunately this love of movement and personal challenge has gotten in the way of achieving various goals I’ve set for myself.  I often find myself doing things at the gym that I want to do instead of following a plan set forth before stepping foot in the arena.  It’s the whole “Look! Shiny object!” effect that distracts me from a program or calculated workout plan.  Sure I squatted yesterday and yes my hips are tight and sore, but look! – no one’s in the squat rack and man I’m so close to adding on those 10 lbs. to my squat.  Maybe I’ll just rep out a few and see how 75% feels…

Next thing I know I’m pissed off that my 75% feels heavy and how I’ve already blown the precious 30 minutes I had to dedicate to training today - and now it’s too late to switch to deadlifts and now I definitely can’t squat for another few days and now I’m even more upset at how an impulsive workout screwed my whole week of programming.

Does this sound familiar?  Do you find yourself veering off a training plan and doing things because you thought they sounded fun in the moment when in fact they push you off track from your goals?