Topic: Clean Power Position

[Fred Fialco]

For lifters with long arms relative to torso length, what method(s) exist to to keep the barbell height above mid-thigh at the initiation of the second pull?  Would it be moving the grip out wider or is there no adjustment possible?  It seems to result in excessive contact as the hips come forward, bumping the barbell out. 

[Shaun Le Conte]

How long? Mine are long too - can't do anything about it, so if I watch weightlifting videos I prefer to watch a lifter like Neno Terziisky or Valerios Leonidas.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Flexing the lats to keep the bar closer will also raise the bar a bit. You can widen your grip a little but it should not be wide enough that it is uncomfortable to keep the bar on your shoulders.

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

I have the same problem Fred.  I'm 5'10" and 76" from finger tip to finger tip.  The barbell touches me at mid thigh when I stand erect. I shrug and it's at the illium at best.  Great for deadlifting and woodchopping, but not much else.

I honestly could not get that 2nd pull right until I read that very long thread on the "double brush" that's below this thread.  Basically it amounts to really concentrating on getting your hips to go vertical while getting the bar as high on your thighs as possible.

As best as I can explain it amounts, at least for me, to being overly patient with that 2nd pull.  The timing has to be perfect.

I have experimented with widening the grip out to the rings, but that put my first pull in a very deadlift sort of feeling - which was not good.

I'm still a complete novice, so I really don't have much room to comment, but I thought I'd share given my own perdicament.

All the best,
 Arden

[Fred Fialco]

Shaun, thanks for posting the vid.  Arden, good to hear from you - I'm 5'10" and 74", but knowing the shape of you compared to me, I'd say your trunk width is a little more of your wingspan than mine!  I'll check out the thread you referred to and see what I can pick up.  Thanks.

Fred

[Fred Fialco]

OK - just read through the thread and has given me some things to think about, so thanks Arden for bumping it up (yes, pun intended).

Just thinking out loud (and please point out the flaws in the reasoning), but as a fairly new lifter, seems my efforts may be better spent on making sure not to over extend my hips forward, and work to improve my timing between moving my hips forward to get into the power position and initiating the vertical phase of the second pull.  For now, maybe not focus as much on "where" the bar is contacting my legs/groin/whatever.

Any thoughts on this approach?

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

OK - just read through the thread and has given me some things to think about, so thanks Arden for bumping it up (yes, pun intended).

Just thinking out loud (and please point out the flaws in the reasoning), but as a fairly new lifter, seems my efforts may be better spent on making sure not to over extend my hips forward, and work to improve my timing between moving my hips forward to get into the power position and initiating the vertical phase of the second pull.  For now, maybe not focus as much on "where" the bar is contacting my legs/groin/whatever.

Any thoughts on this approach?

Based upon my limited knowledge - that's the key.  Now if I could only make myself do it.  And therein lies the fun yet frustrating part.

All the best,
 Arden