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.

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

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?

Barbell Trajectory

Garhammer, J. (1988) Weightlifting performance and techniques of men and women. In: International Conference on Weightlifting and Strength Training. Ed: Komi, P.V. Lahti, Finland: Gummerus Printing. 89-94.
[Accessed through Sean Waxman of Waxman's Gym in Lawndale, CA]

Some Functional HIIT programs teach lifters to keep a "vertical bar path" during lifts such as the snatch or clean.  I started using the concept of a vertical bar path when coaching athletes new to weightlifting since many beginners allow the barbell to travel too far in front of their body through the second pull or over-correct the barbell path behind their bodies while punching/catching the bar overhead - both being mistakes that make the lift less efficient.

The figure above was posted through social media and caught my eye since it contradicted the coaching cue of "vertical bar path".  While I'm hardly qualified to breakdown the nuances of weightlifting technique, I'll run through a few things I can add for consideration when studying the figure regarding bar trajectories.

1.  Note where the barbell is starting: over the mid foot where the knuckle of the big toe meets the foot.  The barbell is NOT in contact with the shin but is two -four inches (approximately) away from the shin.
2.  Most lifts will begin by bringing the barbell "into you" (reference trajectories A and B) as you lift from the floor and clear the knees.
3.  The point the barbell changes direction is when it makes contact with the upper thigh just prior to full hip extension.

Correcting my coaching cues, I'll now replace "vertical bar path" with a description of how the lifter must minimize the "horizontal distance between the bar and hips" (see link to reference article below).

These concepts are better explained in Sean Waxman's article titled "A Technical Description of the Pull in Weightlifting".

Lift Calculator

Link to lift calculator:

http://www.qwa.org/Resources/Calculators.aspx

Link above takes you to a lifting calculator provided by the Queensland Weightlifting Association that calculates what your other lifts "should be" based off one input.  For example, if I input that my back squat is at 190 lbs (~86 kg), the calculator estimates the following:

     Back Squat = 190 lbs (~86 kg)

     ...then...

     Snatch = 117 lbs (~53 kg)
     Power Snatch = 96 lbs (~43 kg)
     Clean & Jerk = 147 lbs (~66 kg)
     Power Clean = 120 lbs (~54 kg)
     Front Squat = 164 lbs (~74 kg)

This information can help gauge the progress of an athlete and can reveal weaknesses in both training and technique.  See "Shut Up and Lift" Volume #23 (a newsletter published by Waxman's Gym) for more information about what a shortfall in projected lifts could mean (symptoms and prescribed training fixes).