These look pretty good to me. If you go up to 495, your heels will stay down whether you want them to or not. The picture in your mind remains that of a clean, so to that extent toes will always be the goal, and this makes you finish the shrug.
Starting Strength Coach
Barbell Shrug Technique Question
Hi Rip,
Brian Jones and I were discussing power shrugs earlier today, and a question about technique came up.
In your video, you describe the barbell shrug as basically a clean that can't be racked completely due to it being too heavy. By using the same snap that you would in a clean, it creates the explosiveness required for the exercise to be maximally effective.
I experimented with shrugs this morning just to see how they felt, and I found that on my top set of 405x5, my heels came off the ground and my hips pop forward, just like they would as I explode through the jumping position on a power clean.
As you increase the weight in your video, your heels do that less and less, and they barely move at all on your top set. You also say that the tendency will be to lean back and not stay out over the bar, which enables the quads to assist in the movement. I believe that is precisely what I am doing, and it's a problem that I am working to fix in my cleans as well.
So, I guess the question is, should the heels remain on the ground during heavy shrugs to limit the snap to the upper body? Am I essentially doing a "kip" (ie. cheating) in the video?
NB - Barbell Shrugs are not appropriate for my current level of training. They are not a part of my regular routine, and me doing them this morning was merely out of curiosity (and because the guy in the rack next to me was doing "shrugs" with 95 lbs and it was annoying me).
TMPHBITEU
These look pretty good to me. If you go up to 495, your heels will stay down whether you want them to or not. The picture in your mind remains that of a clean, so to that extent toes will always be the goal, and this makes you finish the shrug.
Member
Not bad for a choir director and gaming nerd, huh Rip? Nick is putting it together.
TMPHBITEU
Do you know anyone without a beard except your wife?
Member
Yeah, the Chinese students we have and my grandmother. . .well, the Chinese students.Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
Starting Strength Coach
I heard somebody say once that strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how much carryover my lifts have had to waving my arms artistically on a daily basis.
Member
Which ironically enough was the ORIGINAL title for Starting Strength . . .
Member
Nice to finally put a face to your grandma after our FB discussion today.Yeah, the Chinese students we have and my grandmother. . .well, the Chinese students.
Our newest intern asked one of our coaches if he needed to grow a beard to work at WS&C. It was a proud moment for all our coaches. Minus my wife.
Posting Permissions