Topic: Pulling up on toes when?

[Colin K Bell]

Hi I am unclear about this. During the pull at what point should I rise up unto the toes? I have a suspicion I am rising too early up unto my toes. I seem to come up when the bar is just above knees. Am I wrong?

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

I think ideally you shouldn't go up onto your toes until your knees have gone straight and your hips have met the bar.

I know a lot of folk don't like the idea of triple extention, but I think it does have some merit in explaining this process (and I may be out of order on this because I'm a novice olympic lifter in training):
1) extend hips/knees first;
2) extend ankles second - up on your toes;
3) extend shoulders by violently shrugging.

Again, I could be wrong about the order, but it plays out that way when I think about it in my head.  I don't have any pictorial analysis to refer to and I'm certain the more learned among us here can steer you in the right direction.

All the best,
 Arden

[Dave Almeida]

ideally you are on your toes when the body is at full extension. if you are on your toes when the bar is just past your knees then that is far too early. some elite lifters are on their toes when the bar is at the hip right before they achieve full extension but not earlier.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

IMO, you should never be on the toes- only the balls of the feet.

[Colin K Bell]

Sorry I meant the balls of feet!

[ryankyle]

When the bar brushes your hips it's time to move under it.  After the bar and body meet there is next to nothing else you can do to make the bar continue to rise, any attempt to or extra motion upward is a waste of time.  Also, if you are thinking about how much you are rising on your toes then you are making a movement that should be natural (talking about snatch/clean here) into something segmented and choppy.  You do not want to hang out at the top of the lift nor look like a skipping record while lifting.  Watch Kahki, Ilin, Long, and the master of moving under the barbell once it has touch you ANDRIE ARAMNAU!  Nobody on the planet right now moves under a barbell better than him - period.  That is what separates a weightlifter from a guy who lifts weights.  Also, if you find when you do the above prescribed and the barbell is missed or feels out front then chances are you forced your hips into the bar instead of letting it meet your hips naturally.  This is what can be dubbed the so-called "cut pull".  It is really crappy technique more than not pulling enough.  If you let the thigh brush occur naturally your shoulders will at least be vertically over the barbell and sometimes a bit behind it it just depends.  The trick of it is not to force anything to happen just let it happen.  Sounds a bit zen but in reality this is how it is.
Ryan

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

Sorry I meant the balls of feet!

As did I.  Thanks Chris.

All the best,
 Arden

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

When the bar brushes your hips it's time to move under it.  After the bar and body meet there is next to nothing else you can do to make the bar continue to rise, any attempt to or extra motion upward is a waste of time. 
Ryan

This is the part I was missing in my analysis.  Thanks Ryan.  That makes perfect sense.

When the hips meets the bar, is when you need to pull yourself under the bar. Ergo, you should have:

1) extend knees first;
2) extend ankles second - up on the balls of the feet;
3) extend shoulders by violently shrugging as the hips come into the bar.


At (3) is when the bar meets the hips and you pull under.

I hope I'm getting this close?

All the best,
 Arden