May 2012 Challenge:

1.Get back to training, and hit a 185KG squat
2. Do a warrior pose #3
3. Push Press 125KG

Part 2: The Technique of the Chinese Weightlifters.

The Technique of the Chinese weightlifters

Picture Credits: Rob Macklem
Early in my weightlifting career, I spent more time with this ugly bamboo stick, doing hundreds of snatches and clean and jerks, daily than I did trying to complete “Adoption of green computing in universities” thesis.

I did this for a full month while I already had a back squat of 140KG. After a month, he finally gave me the barbell, but an empty one. I did plenty of super slow, but perfect repetitions of snatches and clean and jerks.

1. First pull, controlled but fast. Butt and chest rises at same rate.
2. Inches before the “pocket”, accelerate even faster and get ready to snap hips up. If you wait till the “pocket” to snap, it’s difficult to produce that amount of power so quickly.
3. Snap the hips and pull the bar so fast and powerfully, the world spins a little slower
4. At the same time, open your chest and shrug super hard to reverse the direction
5. Lock arms and stay strong.

Now my coach was 25 when I first met him, and he had not toned down like other coaches in the 50 or 60 year old range. I’d get yelled at either for slapping the bar with my hips or catching the bar high, but riding it down (something I’ve yet to fix till today). Even tiny but significant technical errors which most coaches go “Oh, its okay. He’ll figure it out” were not tolerated. They believe if you don’t learn perfection or close to perfection today, you’ll learn imperfection. When you learn imperfection, you’re an imperfect lifter. Imperfect lifters, have no place in the competition hall.

Every time you do a bad rep, you teach your body to lift wrongly. Every time I get one ugly lift where I had to chase it, but I made it, my coach gives me this “Ugh! Your existence is a disaster to mankind” look which made me feel horrendous. He then explains the error. I’ll pay extra attention on that weak point and eventually, it becomes my strength as I’m constantly aware of it. That way it’s ingrained so deeply into me, I can visualize the entire movement even while resting. I’ll then reverse the entire movement mentally and repeat the lifting in my mind.

However, certain variability to technique is allowed like the width when catching the bar, certain lifters tendency of having a tinyyyyy arm bend. So long the power produced can be translated to the bar, it was fine.

I cannot go further on technique. Writing about technique is going to make me like another Jillian Michaels Home Fitness DVD. It’ll require much more than writing about it. Take countless hours watching lifters and analyzing the videos from various angles, you’ll see eventually understand good technique.

Difference in technique per individual

In Fujian, narrow grip snatches are taught to improve pulling the bar upwards. It’s highly rare in lifters to bang the bar when cleaning (Unless they’re American football players surrounded by a bunch of screaming partners) By using a narrow grip in a snatch, lifters learn to properly pull UP and not bang forward especially because the distance is much longer to overhead, that by banging the bar, you would never be able to save it.

Some coaches, they believe spinning in circles and then running in a straight line improves the coordination. Some coaches think jumping backwards is fine, some think jumping forward is better than jumping backwards. They just did what was suitable for their lifters. These are minor technical preference of the lifters. What you want is the high first pull, madly powerful second pull and an even faster pull under speed. No coaches I’ve spoken to have ever specifically “taught” the triple extension.  They only teach, “First pull high, pop the quads and hip up”. In Mandarin, it’ll sound like “La gao, den dhui, xiang xang”. It’s all about driving the bar helluva high and going under fast.

I remember translating to him once the difference in “catapult” or triple extension, and he analyzed really hard, stared at me and and said “So, what’s for lunch? I’m thinking noodles”

His point was, some of these things are so insignificant to the successful execution of the lift, and it wasn’t worth debating or even creating such a thought. As long as your body’s primary muscles explode and you pull the bar high and receive fast and comfortably, who cares whether your heels leave the floor or not?

Chigishev, Apti Aukadov, Zhang Xiangxiang, are fast as hell, and their feet leave the ground. It’s about consciously trying to pull really fast and go down even faster. Repeat this insanely difficult coordination exercise everyday and you’ll get there.

Here’s my unnecessary two cents on catapult vs triple extension.

When I first read about the catapult technique, I was wondering what the heck the “other” technique was then. I only knew to pop my quads and hips and pull down. That comparison made no sense to me. Only 3 minutes ago, when I learnt that American lifters were taught to plantarflex, it was then I figured what that article meant. No wonder it made no sense before, because I never knew there was any other technique that the world teaches! Honestly, I don’t think the ankle produces much power at all. Also, if you actually consciously try to plantarflex the ankle, you’re only going to shift your weight forward and to counterbalance, your back will snap backwards and jump probably back. Try it and see. If it works for you though and you snatch major weights that way, then go ahead. For me, I tried the “triple extension” technique and I couldn’t return back to earth quickly enough. I tried “catapult” but no matter how hard I tried, my feet left the ground.

I’m not taking any sides of which technique’s better, so please don’t assume. I’m just saying what I learned and what works better for me. I guess it’s a combination of the triple extension and catapult?

Some “errors” in the book, can actually be strengths to other lifters. That’s why not all lifters split jerk. The power jerk is in many ways inferior to the split jerk, but some CAN use it. Just use what works for you. Do take notice of how many times I say “Use what works for YOU and make the best of it” in this entire article. There are many “imperfect” athletes that produce world record shattering records. Usain Bolt and his “average” stride speed, Rybakov’s snatch technique, hips rise too fast but world record holder, Taner Sagir and Wu Jingbiao hyper extending.

I could go on all day, but the point is to make sure the main power drivers are performing as needed. If other variables can be perfected, such as the head not placed forward enough in the snatch or dropping of elbows when jerking then work on them but make sure it won’t mess his or her entire technique up just because of that tiny variable. If it’s something comfortable for the lifter, don’t change it. Use what works best. It’s up to the athlete and coaches to determine if that variable is really worth switching and if its adjustment will have consequently adverse or better results.

Related posts:

1. Part 1: My Experience with the Chinese Weightlifting “System”, Introduction