Dynamic Attention

Quick lifts are key for crafting a bigger, stronger back.


One of the things I’ve always liked about training the back is that there are so many useful exercises to choose from. In addition, the back responds very favorably to explosive movements, which is not the case for the shoulder girdle or hips and legs. While it’s true that push presses and jerks can be done dynamically, the other standard exercises for the shoulder girdle, such as flat- and incline-benches, need to be performed in a controlled fashion. That goes for exercises that work the hips and legs as well.

Attempting to squat, lunge or leg press rapidly usually results in dings or more serious injuries. The back, on the other hand, thrives on vigorous movements, and you can do quite a few with very little equipment and in a small area. I believe every strength program should include at least one quick lift. That’s not because you can use more weight on those exercises—for in most cases you’ll handle less weight than you can on deadlifts or bent-over rows – but rather because the explosive movements activate muscles and corresponding attachments differently. The greatest benefit of doing a quick lift is that it forces the nervous system to become more involved, which produces faster gains.

The quick lifts I use include power cleans; power snatches; snatch-, or wide-grip, high pulls; and clean high pulls. I start my athletes on the power clean. It’s the ideal pulling exercise to learn first. Once trainees learn how to power-clean correctly, they can do all the other exercises I’ve mentioned, plus a host of others, much more easily. And as they’re honing their form on the power clean, they’re building a solid strength base that will help them move on to the other quick lifts, especially the two variations of the high pull.

The power clean is known as the “athlete’s exercise” for a couple of reasons. Good athletes excel at it, and performing it enhances athletic attributes such as coordination, timing and quickness. I used to tell the coaches of various sports at the University of Hawaii and Johns Hopkins who their best athletes were just by observing them at their first power clean session. I was always right. When I taught the Big Three to the newly drafted players of the Baltimore Colts, I told the coaches and general manager that I could list them from best to worst in terms of athleticism. They didn’t believe me until I wrote down the names. I ranked the rookies in the exact order in which they’d been drafted, and I’d never seen the draft report. I just put them through a workout. My gauge was the power clean.

Once athletes have perfected their technique and are handling heavier weights, the power clean has a great carryover value to any sport. It has been shown that after swimmers become proficient in the power clean, their move off the starting block is faster. The same happens with sprinters. Rowers respond very favorably to this quick lift. Not only does it improve overall back strength, but it enhances timing and coordination, critical factors for success in their sport, as well.

When done correctly, the power clean works nearly every muscle in your body from your feet to your head. The better your form, the more muscles you activate, so you must spend time practicing technique. Don’t overcomplicate the mechanics of the lift, however—a common mistake. During the first hectic days of an off-season program the football coaches would help me with the beginners. Unlike most collegiate strength coaches, I never had an assistant. Invariably, my helpers would turn the simple movement of power-cleaning a weight into a highly complex maneuver that left the players dazed and confused. The coaches would break the lift down into several segments: how to bring the bar from the floor to your knees, then how to bring it from your knees to your waist and, finally, how to flip the bar into the racked position at the shoulders. The athletes weren’t able to get the feel of the movement because there were too many factors to think about. When I’d see that happen with an athlete, after the coach moved on to bewilder another player, I’d have the athlete assume the proper starting position and tell him, “Now pull the bar up close to your body in one fast motion and rack it on your shoulders.” And he would do just that without any hesitation or difficulty.

As with any other high-skill athletic movement, improvement comes with diligent practice and attention to the smallest form points. The better your technique, the more weight you’ll be able to handle, which means greater strength gains. Perfecting your form also lowers your risk of injuries. During the learning phase, stay with lighter weights so you can concentrate fully on doing each rep correctly. Once you have the form down pat, the numbers will take care of themselves.

Step up close to the bar so that your shins are touching it. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart with toes pointed forward. To find your ideal foot placement, shut your eyes and set your feet as if you were about to do a standing broad jump. That’s your strongest thrusting position. The grip will vary slightly due to different shoulder widths, but for most this guideline works. Extend your thumbs until they barely touch the smooth center of an Olympic bar. Or grip the bar just outside your legs. A bit of trial and error may be necessary. If your grip is too narrow, you’ll have trouble racking the bar properly, and if it’s too wide, the rack will hurt your shoulders. Flatten your back, lower your hips, and look straight ahead—but don’t lower your hips too much. Higher is better because it gives you a longer pulling lever, but only if you’re able to hold that starting position when you break the bar off the floor.

Before you commence the pull, make sure your front deltoids are slightly in front of the bar and the bar is against your shins. Instead of thinking about pulling the bar off the floor, push down through the floor with your feet. That helps you establish a solid base. The start needs to be a controlled move. Don’t attempt to jerk the bar upward. The bar will always try to run forward, so you have to guide it in the correct line close to your legs. Remember, a bar doesn’t have a brain. It only goes where you lead it.

Once the bar passes your knees, it should start picking up speed. Drive your hips forward in a fast, powerful move, extend high on your toes, and contract your traps. All the while your arms are still straight. Hips, calves, traps and then arms is the sequence you want. If you bend your arms before activating your traps, you won’t be able to use those very strong muscles nearly as efficiently, and it will have a negative influence on the finish. As soon as the traps elevate the bar, follow through with your arms to give it that final snap so you can rack it more easily.

When the coordinated efforts of your traps, arms and calves have put a jolt in the bar, it will float momentarily, and that’s when you drive your elbows under it and rack it across your front delts, not your collarbones. Banging the bar against your clavicles repeatedly is not only painful, but it can damage the bones as well. As you rack the bar, lift your shoulder girdle up to create a ledge of muscle on which to fix the weight. As that happens, bend your knees to help absorb the shock of the descending bar. That should be a short dip and not an exaggerated one. Since the purpose of doing the power clean is to develop as many muscles as possible, the longer the pull, the better. The dip should not resemble a half squat but, rather, a short, coordinated move that’s just enough to cushion the shock of the bar striking your body.

When the bar is racked, your upper body must remain erect or a bit forward, or you’re inviting lower back problems. Some athletes are unable to correct that form fault, so I have them make adjustments to the way they rack. I have them take a short step to the side or back with one foot or skip to the side with both, which enables them to maintain a straight torso and eliminates jamming the lumbars.

After the bar is racked firmly on your shoulders, stand up and get ready to lower the weight to the floor. The important thing to remember is that you need to do that with a flat back, not a rounded one. That’s best accomplished by flipping the bar over and stopping it at your waist, then deliberately lowering it to the floor.

Reset and make sure your grip, feet and back are where they should be; tuck the bar in against your shins; extend your deltoids out in front of the bar; and do your next rep. Do your breathing prior to the initial pull and after the bar is racked. Hold your breath during the execution of the lift.

As you’re pulling the bar upward, think of the movement in terms of a whip cracking; relatively slow coming off the floor, picking up speed through the middle and turning into a blur at the finish. Once you learn to blend all three segments into one smooth movement, the bar will float upward almost effortlessly.

A further word on racking the bar. Many who try power cleans for the first time find that they’re very tight in the shoulders and have difficulty racking the weight. That’s particularly true for those who’ve been doing lots of bench presses or extensive arm work. Also older athletes who haven’t bothered to keep their shoulders flexible. Those who have this problem must spend time stretching their shoulders and elbows before doing power cleans. The best way to accomplish that is to put a bar in a power rack at shoulder height and lock it in place. Grip the bar at your shoulders, lift one elbow as high as you can while keeping your body straight, and
hold that position for a count of eight to 10. Then do the other arm. If you’re quite tight, repeat for several sets. For the next step you’ll need a partner. Grip the bar with both hands and fix it on your shoulders just as you would when you rack the power clean. Have your partner slowly elevate your arms by pushing up against your elbows. In order for this to be effective, you must maintain an upright torso. If you lean back, you’re defeating the purpose of the exercise. When your elbows are as high as you can stand, hold them there for an eight to 10 count, take a break, then do it again. Each time you do this isometric hold, you’ll find that your elbows are a tad higher than on the previous set. It’s also useful for anyone who wants to do front squats but is having trouble racking the bar properly.

Five sets of five reps works well for power cleans. Start with a relatively light weight and add to each let just as long as your form is good. Should your form break down, take off some weight and correct your mistake – or mistakes. Doing 155x5 in perfect form will yield more benefits than banging around with 185x5 using sloppy technique.

I’m aware that many older athletes, no matter how hard they try, cannot achieve the flexibility to rack the bar on their shoulders without a great deal of pain. They should forget the power clean and try the power snatch. It, too, is a high-skill exercise that requires all the same athletic attributes as the power clean, yet it’s not stressful to the shoulders. The main differences between the two quick lifts are that you grip the bar wider for the power snatch than for the power clean and that you have to pull the power snatch much higher. All the other mechanics are the same, except for the rack, of course.

On the power snatch, instead of fixing the bar at your shoulders, you lock it out overhead. The longer pulling motion requires closer attention to all those form points I mentioned for the power clean. The bar has to stay even tighter to your body during the power snatch; the sequence of hips, traps and arms is more critical; and body extension is absolutely essential. Also, the analogy to a whip cracking is extra important for the power snatch because you’re seeking greater height.

Observant readers will have noticed that I overlooked a significant technical aspect of the power clean—the elbows must be up and out at the finish. I didn’t forget. I just wanted to save it for the power snatch discussion, since it’s so critical for success in the longer pulling movement. Although it’s possible to cut your pull and still make a power clean, that doesn’t work for the power snatch. The bar has to move smoothly, accelerating up your body and over your head high enough that you can dip under it and lock out your arms. That requires a powerful finish—based on a strong start and middle—and can only be accomplished if you keep your elbows up and out to your sides until the bar is at your nipples. Once your elbows turn back, you no longer have any upward thrust. At that point you’re totally dependent on the momentum you’ve created. So the longer you keep your elbows up and out, the longer you’ll be able to climb the bar upward and be in a position at the finish to put a jolt into it just before you dip and lock it out overhead. You must have sufficient floating time with heavy weights. Otherwise, the bar will stall too low to lock out correctly.

Another form point that’s critical to success when the weights get heavy is body extension. At the very top of the pull you must be high on your toes with your traps contracted, elbows bent while they’re up and out. Should you not be fully extended and leaning forward, even a bit, you’re going to have difficulty finishing strongly and locking the weight out. Seeking height and stretching out your body helps you achieve that objective. More about the lockout in a moment. First I want to go over where to grip the bar for a power snatch.

It depends on: 1) how broad your shoulders are and 2) how flexible you are in your shoulder girdle. Dr. John Gourgott, as a 198-pounder, could power-snatch using a clean grip. He was, of course, the exception. There are scores on most Olympic bars located six inches in from the collars on both sides. I have athletes grip the bar so that their ring fingers are around the scores. That works well for the majority of them. The factors determining where to grip the bar are whether you can pull the bar correctly and smoothly through the full range of motion and whether it’s not stressful to your shoulders when you lock it out. If it does hurt your shoulders, change it slightly until you find the grip that fits you.

Technically, a power snatch should be locked out with straight arms. No bending and pressing the bar to lockout. Should you be planning on entering Olympic competition, you need to make sure you lock the bar out completely on every rep so that you don’t develop the habit of pressing it out. If you’re only including power snatches for variety or perhaps to improve your athletic skills, however, you don’t have to completely lock out the bar overhead. It’s okay to press it out slightly at the finish. In fact, many coaches encourage that, since pressing out a weight with a wide grip strengthens the deltoids in a different and beneficial way.

After the bar is locked out and you stand up under it, don’t merely hold it passively. Rather, push up against it forcefully, stretching your body as high as you can, and hold it there for a three-to-four-second count. On your final rep hold it even longer. Supporting a weight overhead that way activates a host of muscles in your back and shoulders that aren’t usually worked, including the rotator cuffs,

Flip the bar over and stop it at your waist before returning it to the floor, making sure your back stays very straight all the way. Reset, check that the bar is snug to your shins, your feet are in the correct position, your back is flat, your deltoids are slightly out in front of the bar, and then do the next rep.

During the learning stage, stay with five sets of five, but once the weights get demanding, switch to this formula: two sets of five as warmups, followed by three to five sets of three, working to limit. In a matter of weeks you’ll feel comfortable doing power cleans and power snatches. Now you’re ready to add high pulls. They’re less complicated than the longer pulling movements, so you’ll be able to use good form rather quickly.

Straps are necessary. They help you to pull longer and with more intensity without having to worry about maintaining a firm grip. All of the technical points are the same for the high pulls as they are for power cleaning and snatching, except for racking the weight. Plus, the bar doesn’t travel as high once the weights get heavy on the high pulls. Nevertheless, the warmup sets on both forms of high pulls often climb up over your head. That’s what you want because from that very first rep you want to instill a mental pattern of fully extending that will carry over to the heavier poundages. So never cut your pull, even if the bar ends up high enough to lock out. Higher is always better.

While the high pull is a combination of a deadlift and shrug, the transition from one to the other must be continuous and fluid. Often with heavy weights there’s a tendency to hesitate in the middle, which results in hitching the bar. That disrupts the rhythm and keeps the bar from going as high as it might.

Another form fault that occurs frequently is that the hips come up too fast. You must lock your back and hips so they don’t lift up at a faster rate than the bar. When that happens, the bar runs forward and out of a strong pulling position.

Rounding the back is a common mistake on the high pull. It has an adverse affect on the finish, so you have to lock your back tightly. The best way to do that is to pull your shoulder blades together and keep them that way throughout the exercise.

So the keys to doing high pulls correctly with either grip are maintaining a flat back; elevating the bar and hips at same time; using the proper sequence of hips, traps and arms that you learned for power cleans and snatches; keeping your elbows up and out and extending fully. Try to get a pop at the top on every rep, and you’ll get greater results.

Most lifters like to do a few power cleans or snatches before moving on to high pulls. That’s useful, since the longer pulling movements enable you to practice the many form points before loading up the bar. A good workout plan would be to do two or three sets of power cleans or snatches with light-to-moderate weights, followed by five to six sets of threes on the high pulls. I use triples rather than fives because you can handle more weight with the lower reps, and you can also concentrate on your technique if you’re not as tired. Keep in mind that the primary reason you’re doing the high pulls is to overload the pulling muscles and threes serve that purpose better than fives. Should you want to increase your workload, just add extra sets.

How high should you go? Your eventual goal is 100 pounds over your best power clean on the clean high pull and 75 pounds over your top power snatch on the wide-grip high pull. During the learning stage, however, you need to stop whenever your form breaks down. For instance, if you’re dragging the bar up your thighs with a rounded back and are only able to give it a nudge at the top, lower the weight.

Whether you decide to do power cleans or power snatches at the same session as high pulls or at separate workouts or choose to do just a couple of these exercises, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover how effective they are at building greater size and strength in your back.