Study the above action pictures of Norbert Schemansky cleaning 380 pounds at the 1957 Senior WL Championships. Skee is possibly the best exponent of the Split Clean.

The

Art

of

Weight Lifting

by BOB HOFFMAN

U. S. Olympic WL Coach

Below Clyde Emrich cleans 415 pounds easily and surely at Daytona Beach. This is 17 pounds more than double bodyweight and makes him the best in the world in the 198 lb. class.

NUMBER ONE OF A SERIES

O

THE CLEAN

LYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING begins

with the

Clean. You must first get the barbell to your snoulders before you can do a Press, a Snatch, or a Clean and Jerk. The Clean has handicapped many otherwise strong lifters. Some big fellows, such as Doug Hepburn, can actually press more weight than they can clean to the shoulders. In today's topflight international competition a man must be good on all three lifts in order to win a medal, and the Clean simply must be mastered if you intend to become a champion lifter.

There are several styles used in executing the pullin to the shoulders, broadly divided into two techniques... the split and the squat. Yet there are also many slight variations of both styles, and each individual lirter must practice until he finds the exact method suited to his build and temperament. I have always employed the split style myself, and am inclined to favor it over the squat style because it seems somewhat safer, but many of our best lifters use the squat technique, and no discussion would be complete without considering both methods.

Actually the most important part of the Clean is the Pull... and this is the same in both cases. The amount of weight you can clean is determined by pulling power. Basically a Clean is nothing more than a high dead lift.

Let us describe the correct procedure: Approach the bar, place your feet well under it, so you get as close to the bell as possible. Foot spacing is important, for if your feet are too far apart you cannot pull as high. Our old rule is to stand in the same foot position in which you can best do a standing broad jump. Next, make sure of a firm grip on the bar. This can best be done by "hooking," wrapping the finger ends around the thumb to prevent slipping. At first this seems strange and even painful to a beginner, but the resultant confidence in your grip makes learning this method worthwhile.

Now lower the body by bending the legs, keeping the back flat and as near perpendicular as possible. In the lowest position this should approximate a 45° angle. Grip the bar securely, a bit over shoulder width apart. The arms at this stage must be considered as simply appendages to attach you to the bar--they must not be flexed-rather they should seem to be like a rope with hooks on the end. You do not pull with the arms.

Take a deep breath, get set, tilt the head back a bit, and start the pull easily but firmly-lifting exactly as though you were going to do a dead lift. Pull it to knee heighth, and then turn on the power. Remember to keep the bar as close to the legs as possible do not let it wander out in a so-called S curve. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The S

Sequence Pix by John Terpak

terrible mistake-they go out curve boys make a around the knees, when the knees are already out of the way, and then they pull in with such a backward drag that the bell may hit the chest hard enough to throw the lifter off balance. They make this same mistake in snatching and lose the weight behind them. Do not swing a clean or a snatch-this is doing things the hard way.

Only after the bar has passed the knees do you pull with the arms. You keep the bell close to the body all the way, and timing at this point is important. You are now at the top of your pull, with the whole body erect, leaning even a bit backward with the force of your last pull, and you are high on your toes-pulling with everything you have!

As the bell reaches its highest point, the lifter makes his dip. If a squatter, he jumps straight down and a little forward, spreading his feet to the side as he does so, in order to lower himself as close to the floor as possible. He actually "jumps" down beneath the bell, whips his elbows forward and upward and catches the bar on the deltoids. The back is kept straight, the chest arched forward. He is now set to rise.

A split lifter lowers himself by splitting the legs fore and aft, stepping well forward with one foot and back with the other. You arch the chest, keep back (Continued on page 14)

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