Power Clean form check

[psyck0]

Hey Rip, time for a form check here. My buddy who saw these said I had the bar too far out in front of my body and should be pulling closer to my hip. I was wondering if you saw anything else I could improve on. Included a failed set on the theory that failed sets highlight breakdowns in form, as well as some slow-mo if that helps. Thanks!

Oh, audio is a little loud, forgot to remove it, so you might want to turn down your speakers.

Cleans, light warmup set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkPJPoXOlGE

I wasn't catching them balanced, I was catching them leaning back. Tried to fix that with the next warmup set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcoYJRfFEqs

Failed set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdNc_tnk9K0

[Mark Rippetoe]

Your silly shoes need some attention. The lighter sets were pretty good, and the misses are looped forward. Looks like you changed from a good jump to an arm pull, and I can see your elbows bend before the bar reaches your knees. Do you have a coach?

[psyck0]

I totally missed the arm pull every time I watched that, thanks. No sure what you mean "looped forward" unless you mean it is too far away from my body, which I am going to fix. No, I don't have a coach, I'm self-taught. The only coach around here works with the varsity athletes and charges $100 an hour for anyone else.

How do I go about eliminating the arm pull? I'm using a hook grip, thought that was supposed to work fairly well, but clearly it didn't.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You fix it by keeping your elbows straight. Keep them straight. Until you jump.

[psyck0]

Sounds great, coach. Any mental cues I can use to do learn that (eg "drive with the hips" for squats), or should I just think elbows straight the whole time?

[Brad Davis]

Coach Rip, what do you think about the way he's sitting the bar back down? Looks like he's rounding out badly at the last second or so as he sits it down gently. Opinion?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You might try thinking about keeping your elbows straight. It might work. As far as his descent, I didn't even notice it. It's not that big a problem with a clean, which he will eventually be dropping anyway.

[tallison]

... which he will eventually be dropping anyway.

So, I searched the board and found mainly sarcasm on this point. What's the deal? Is this just one of those things that *serious* lifters do and that *gyms-that-are-worth-a-shit* allow? Or, is there a real injury problem from trying to lower heavy weights from the shoulders in a controlled manner? Or, alternately, when the weights are heavy enough does it just become impossible to catch them?

So, is it a style or substance thing?

Look, I'd prefer a gym that had 10 squat racks, a clientele who knew what to do with them, no problem with chalk, bumper plates and micro-plates, rowing machines (for warm up) and a truly knowledgeable and helpful staff -- but, hey, just finding one where I can do all the lifts has been a challenge, so I need to figure out where it's safe to compromise (my third floor 19th century apartment in the middle of the city just isn't going to accommodate the "workout at home" model - the basement storage units have 6 foot ceilings). I'm just now coming to the end of my current gym contract and trying to decide where to go, next (current gym fails on all counts - but most of the options fail on one or two).

[Mark Rippetoe]

...uh, I'm sorry, could you repeat the question?

[stronger]

So, I searched the board and found mainly sarcasm on this point. What's the deal? Is this just one of those things that *serious* lifters do and that *gyms-that-are-worth-a-shit* allow? Or, is there a real injury problem from trying to lower heavy weights from the shoulders in a controlled manner? Or, alternately, when the weights are heavy enough does it just become impossible to catch them?

So, is it a style or substance thing?

Look, I'd prefer a gym that had 10 squat racks, a clientele who knew what to do with them, no problem with chalk, bumper plates and micro-plates, rowing machines (for warm up) and a truly knowledgeable and helpful staff -- but, hey, just finding one where I can do all the lifts has been a challenge, so I need to figure out where it's safe to compromise (my third floor 19th century apartment in the middle of the city just isn't going to accommodate the "workout at home" model - the basement storage units have 6 foot ceilings). I'm just now coming to the end of my current gym contract and trying to decide where to go, next (current gym fails on all counts - but most of the options fail on one or two).

you don't need to drop them, but it sure is nice to. That's all there is to it.