Feet in Split Jerk

Every now and then on Youtube I'll watch weightlifters - some amateur, some elite. I notice most of the people who split jerk appear to execute it too early. Despite it being a very fast movement it's important to move under the bar at the right moment.

The lifters who split jerk prematurely tend to do so at the apex of the dip back up, specifically at this point:

Take note of how his feet are almost off the ground. Many lifters choose to jerk the bar during this ascent. As a result the front foot leaves higher off the ground. Their foot does a sort of hop forward.

I've learned from other sports that footwork has a standard rule - when the feet move they should move while staying as close as possible to the ground. My short experience with kendo, eskrima, grappling, and ballroom dancing hold this fact true. There are no hops or tall strides.

Allowing the foot to rise higher than needed creates more distance it has to travel. Not only that but imagine where your foot would be more stable. When you have a heavy bar overhead, do you want your foot near the floor or far from it?

The weightlifting coach at my school gave a great tip. He said "slide" your feet out instead of jumping them out. It's a good way to visualize how to split as you drop under the bar - not while you're still driving the bar upwards.

It takes patience to not split early but if you wait you'll have a more solid jerk in the end.

Related articles,

• Split Jerk Execution
• Split Jerk Recovery
  

Long Arms

Pulling with bent arms.

The only lift that benefits from long arms is the deadlift. They help grab the bar at a high hips position and the bar travels a shorter distance for lock out. On the other hand this is absolutely terrible for cleans.

In a clean the bar needs to reach a specific height - slightly below the navel - to allow the lifter to speed under it. After all pulling the bar higher takes more effort and strength. In competition it's better to pull a heavier weight at a low height than pulling a lighter weight high.

The problem comes when long arms put the bar too low. This causes the pull after extension to be longer and makes it difficult to get under the bar. In the recent post "Moment of Power" I mentioned the bar should be in or near the crease of the hip. Chances are if you clean with long arms the bar will be closer to your knees than your hips.

The easiest way to get the bar further up the thigh is by widening your grip on the bar. Spreading the hands apart automatically moves the bar up a bit. If the bar isn't high enough the next cue to use is to "sweep" the bar in after extension. Think of it almost like putting on pants really fast.

Technique aside, those two methods should take care of most lifters. If your arms reach down to your knees you'll still have trouble. Don McCauley suggested on the Pendlay forums having the shoulders shrugged before starting the lift. There's also pulling with bent arms, but I believe there's a certain finesse to doing this correct.

And of course you can always try this,

Looks easy doesn't it?

Your leverages might not favor Olympic weightlifting but don't let that discourage you.

Always experiment, persist, and strive to improve.

Olympic-Style Workout

I haven't seen this method outside many Olympic weightlifting programs. Basically the main exercise is performed up to heavy singles and then the weight is reduced. It allows the lifter to get more volume in on the same exercise without compromising technique. Here's a template to follow for non-Olympic lifters,

1) Dynamic Warm-up

2) Primary Exercise: Work up to 1-3 heavy singles

3) Remove 10-15% of weight and perform 3-4 sets of 2-4 reps

4) OPTIONAL: Single-limb exercise, 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps

5) Ab, Postural, or Grip exercise

6) Cool Down

Here's a sample training day for back squats,

1) Dynamic Warm-Up

• Stretch: Hip flexors, piriformis, pecs
• Mobility: Ankles, upper back
• Multi-joint Drills: Pull-throughs, wall slides
  

2) Back Squat

• 100 x 6, 135 x 3, 155 x 1,
  175 x 1, 185 x 1, 200 x 1, 200 x 1

3) Perform 4 sets of 3 @ 175lbs

4) Lunge or Press Variation: 2 x 6

5) Plank Variation: 3 x 20s

6) Cool Down

• Stretch hip flexors and quads
• Light unilateral farmer's walk: 2 minutes each hand
  

You can try this workout or create your own. Experiment with the template and find out what you respond to best.

Balance and Maturity

An amazing soup

As you get more experience in a craft the more adept you should become in it. Those initial years are especially rough because you try to incorporate everything you've learned. It's understandable though - do as much as possible or include everything and it should yield the best result. However that isn't true.

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of Top Chef. The chefs had to create a dish that "fulfills and even exceeds your mentor’s expectations of you as a great chef.” Paul Qui decided he would serve a chilled soup. As he finished plating he said,

"I keep on second-guessing myself. I really want to put more stuff on it. Being able to recognize that your dish is where it should be takes a lot of experience. And it takes a lot of discipline."

He won the challenge. One of the judges told him,

"Young chefs don’t understand restraint. They want to add more. You knew that enough was enough."

While his mentor said,

"This is everything that I’ve preached to Paul over the years, is balance, of flavor, and not overdoing it."

These words are incredibly true for many areas outside of culinary arts. The discipline and ability to recognize when enough is enough rather than doing more displays an individual's maturity and experience.

In the realm of exercise, the new trainee's mentality is to include more volume, intensity, and exercises. They attempt to do it all because they think more is better.

It's not. Athletes themselves stick to a handful of relevant sport movements to prepare for competition. Olympic weightlifters are a perfect example: snatch, clean & jerk, and some partials of the full lifts.

Aim to strike the right balance for yourself. It takes time and patience, but reach the point where you're attuned to your training. The little quantified variables aren't hard-and-fast where they aren't up for change. Don't be caught up in the exact number of reps, sets, and rest periods. They're guidelines. Instead it's important to be flexible and adapt to your sessions based on how you feel.

Be able to know when enough is enough in your training and heed Bruce Lee's sage advice - "Be water, my friend."

Quick Changes when Home

A few months back when I wrote the college tips, I suggested to be able to separate your workplace and R&R areas. Here are a few more helpful tips,

Shoes at the Front Door
- I know many families who take their shoes off when they enter their home. This is great to incorporate more barefoot activity if your feet are usually cramped in shoes. The added bonus is less dirt is carried into other rooms which means there's less cleaning for you. (Trivia Fact: One of the high schools in Europe has their students leave their shoes in one area to keep the school cleaner.)

Eat in the Kitchen
- By having all your meals in the kitchen, crumbs won't end up in other rooms and your attention is on your food. Watching TV or doing work as you eat lengthens how long it takes to finish your food. When it's time to eat then eat and when it's time to work then work. Ditch multitasking. Multitasking is the synonym for half-assing everything at once.

TV in the Living Room
- Keeping a TV in the bedroom will waste more of your time. Stick to lounging in the living room to avoid becoming a couch potato when you're not even on the couch. Consequently, this reduces your overall TV viewing and frees up your time to do other things.

These are a few easy and subtle changes to improve your productivity and health. If you know more helpful suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Moment of Power

Left to right: Min-Jae Kim, Vladimir Sedov, and

Saeid Mohammadpourkarkaragh

Keep the bar close! You want to get it in or near the crease of the hip right before straightening out. The snatch hasn't changed much in the last few decades,

1958 World Championships

Compared side-by-side,

Click to enlarge

And it's not too different in the clean,

Sa Jae-Hyouk

Remember not to extend early. Wait until the bar is in the right position or you'll miss out on a lot of power.

Related articles,

• First Pull
• Panda Pull
• Second Pull
• Start Position
• Third Pull

Nike Romaleos 2

A few months back I saw the need for a weightlifting shoe. My go to footwear the last few years has been a thin and flat shoe [Tai Chi from Asics] or lifting barefoot. It was great for deadlifts however not the Olympic lifts. I was spending more effort in balance and coordination than necessary.

As a result I went to work researching shoes and, thanks to the magical power of Google, I concluded the Nike Romaleos would suit me. During my search I also learned it was being updated. I wasn't in a rush to order and decided to wait to purchase the newer model.

Because these are my first pair of weightlifting shoes, I can't compare them to other shoes in the market. After two sessions here's how they held up.

EXERCISES TESTED

• SN/CL: Pitching my weight forward while maintaining a deep knee bend is much simpler than before. I drop under the bar with ease and receive it in a very solid squat.
  

• SPLIT JERK: My feet felt glued to the floor in the split jerk. Recovering to a stand was a smooth transition.
  

• SN DROP: No problem at all - I could sink fairly quick without balance or ankle flexibility being an issue.

• SQ: I could care less for shoes to squat in but I did try front and back squats. I was able to keep my torso more upright. That makes sense because of the heel.
  

PROS

• The heel runs proportional to the shoe size. Many shoes are made with a set heel height. (The other exception is Risto)
  

• The double straps run in opposite directions to better secure the foot and they do it very well. A single strap is commonly found on most shoes and shoes with double straps have them run in the same direction.
  

• It comes with two insoles. Pictured below is the bottom view but the tops are actually covered with the same material as the inside lining of the shoes.
  - TOP: The flat thin and soft insoles are for regular training which gives the shoe a more sneaker-like feel.
  - BOTTOM: The harder and thicker insoles are meant to be worn in meets. It's composed of a hard rubber material (or plastic, not sure) and offers arch support.

Click to enlarge

CONS

• The new training insoles are different compared to the previous model. It's a flat piece of material whereas before it had more contours to it. Also, the insoles are not labeled to distinguish which is for training and which is for competition.
  
  *JULY 2012 UPDATE: I've been using the shoes roughly three times a week for five months. The most apparent flaw of the Romaleos is the training insoles. The current flat insoles cause the the shoe to be slightly loose. The previous model's insoles gave the shoe a much better fit but due to the material it becomes flatter after its initial wear. The competition insoles don't suffer from these problems.
  

• Currently this and the Adidas adiPower are the most expensive weightlifting shoes available.
  

• The TPU heel might not suit those who prefer a traditional wood heel.

• Apparently advice was taken from Crossfit athletes. This can be a bit unsettling since Crossfit and Olympic weightlifting are not the same. Although the only changes made were a more flexible forefoot area and making the shoe lighter by 50 grams.

• Only two colors are available to choose from, but a Nike rep has stated more colors will be released around August.
  

OTHER THOUGHTS

• As I walked around between sets, my toes had enough space in the front of the shoe. The sides were a tight fit and give arch support. It felt a bit loose around the back of the foot but no problems yet.

• It's a large shoe yet surprisingly light.

• The competition insoles should be worn in training sessions prior to a meet to become accustomed to them.
  

• For any type of exercise footwear the inside tends to gets warm. If odor is a concern, stick a dryer sheet in each shoe to keep them smelling fresh.
  

Aside from that I also had a few personal reasons for selecting the Romaleos.

• I've predominantly worn Nike shoes and have had no complaints with the brand.

• I wanted a proportional heel and wider toe box area. The former seemed logical and narrow shoes tend to restrict my toes.
  

• Throughout my online search I couldn't find negative feedback. It seemed like a good sign that it was a quality product.

From my initial assessment the shoes are definitely good and I'm happy with my purchase. How they hold up after years of training sessions is another story.

Above all else though it's important to understand that the weightlifting shoes do not make the lifter. Straps, a belt, and other lifting gear are useless if not used in the correct manner.

Related articles,

• Choosing Shoes & Socks for Weightlifting
  

- - - - -

Websites to order the Nike Romaleos 2 and other links of interest,

*Runs true to size and similar to Nike running shoe sizing*

• All Colors [Black, White w/ grey or red logo]
  - Athlete Performance Solutions

• Black
  - Rogue Fitness

• White w/ red logo
  - Kanama High Performance

• Facebook page
  

• Reviews of various weightlifting shoes
  [Review of Romaleos 2 coming soon]

• Video review of first Romaleos model
  

• Evolution of Weightlifting Shoes