The man with the long thighs finds it necessary to lean forward some to come erect with a heavy squat, and the man with short thighs and long trunk has a leverage advantage that enables him to come straight up. So either type can excel at this style but I would say that probably the type of physique like George and Kono have a slight advantage.
If you have pulled the bar high and close to the body you will find that you must drop straight down like a flash. You won't be able to continue your pull while squatting as you can with the split style. At least I've never heard of a top squat-cleaner who didn't let go everything and hit bottom as soon as possible. If you try to continue your pull on the way down you drive the weight to the front and out of correct position.
As soon as you start down you start turning the elbows and wrists under the weight with lots of vigor and drive. As you hit bottom of your squat you should have the head high and get those elbows as high as you can. Your body should be as erect as possible.
Some men start their pull with feet close together and as they squat they jump from the floor and split the feet sideways a little so as to be in a stronger position for a deeper and more erect squat. If you do this be sure that you don't get into the habit of jumping back and away from the weight.
Others will keep the feet in the same position throughout. Many men will wear shoes with the heels built up as this will throw the heels and hips forward to allow them to sit up straighter. Kono has his shoes built up on the inside, Uhalde has his heels built up on the outside. Others like Schattner use regular standard lifting shoes. However, his type of build does not require high heels. Okay then.
If you are the type who possesses long forearms in proportion to the upper arms and your shoulders are not overly flexible, you will have to snap the elbows in as you bring them forward so that they can rest against the chest firmly to support the weight as you come erect. You won't be able to lean forward to come erect or you will lose the weight because you can't get your elbows high. Some men of this type try to jump ahead slightly in order to be well under the weight. However, this is a precarious practice as you may go over backwards with the weight from getting too far forward.
Very few men dive for the bar when using the squat style although it is possible, for I always used the dive with the squat style. It probably isn't as certain as the "get set" style but that never bothered me as I never had to go into a very low squat to clean more than I could jerk. I always found that the more energy I could save in the clean, the more I had left to use in the jerk. I saw no reason to handicap myself in the clean by a "get set" position and a low squat. It takes a lot out of a fellow, feller, fella to fight up from a low squat position. I've seen George fail on many jerks well within his capabilities because he had such a hard fight up from the low squat clean.
On a side note, here's a list . . .
After you have fixed the weight at the shoulders you keep the head well back and stand erect.
We'd like to say something about coming erect from a low split. Some authorities state that a man should step back to prevent injury to the back. However, the majority of split lifters step ahead as they come erect in order to be sure of holding the weight. I don't recall any injuries directly due to stepping ahead instead of back, so presume that the expert's instructions arise from theory and not from fact. [that sounds so familiar, don't it just].
The two arm jerk is to me, and I believe to most people, the most fascinating part of the lift. To me IT IS THE LIFT and the clean is just preliminary to the jerk. When the average man asks how much you can lift he seldom gives any thought to how you get the weight to the shoulders and as far as he is concerned you can take it from standards with no criticism from him, but from the shoulders he wants you to lift it without any artificial aid.
We often wonder what the possibilities are in the two arm jerk because it is very seldom practiced to the extent that the clean is. In other words, for most lifters the clean is a handicap to maximum jerks because they could, with practice, jerk much more than they can clean. We used to think that people who talked about a possible 500-pound jerk were crazy. However, after seeing Doug Hepburn gradually bringing his jerk from stands up closer and closer to this mythical quarter of a ton we wonder if he might not make one of these days. Already he is doing a crude press of near 400 and a jerk press of more than any other man has ever jerked in any style. With more training and time and a little attention to proper style, I'm sure now that 500 is within his reach. I do believe, however, it will require training for support in the low position and special work on splitting, etc.
For men with such unbelievable power as Hepburn the science of a lift doesn't mean much. Generally speaking, it is expected that a scientific lifter will jerk from 70-100 pounds more than he will press properly. This, however, means he must have a good fast, low split and good timing.
For most of us it means a lot of special training and a close attention to details of performance.
On your left, Stanczyk in proper position to jerk tho he will bend his legs just a little more before the heave. Note in particular the position of hands and elbows and the support of the bar.
On your right, J. Taucher of Austria in a low split in the clean with elbows high.
Above: John Davis is ready to jerk. His position here is very good. Note the slight upward inclination of head, the straight spine held in a vertical position, the solid position of feet and the knees already bent for the leg drive. Some men use more leg bend than this while others feel that less is better. Note that his arm position is almost the same as that of Stanczyk.
Above: Kinnunen is shown with the high elbow position. This position is not possible for everyone. Some men possess forearms that are too long in proportion to the upper arm to allow them to use this position without pushing the bar into the neck too far. It is necessary to have wide and flexible shoulders so they can be shoved forward to support the bar.
Thus far we have discussed the science of the clean & jerk with no attention whatever to training programs for developing the lift. We will continue our study of technique until we have finished, then work into special developmental programs.
It is very seldom that you see heavy jerkers who are of the slender type. We are talking about the unlimited heavyweight class, of course, because in the lighter classes the men sometimes keep to themselves in a very slender condition to remain in a light class. They usually sacrifice much sustaining power in the jerk because of this.
To maintain a good, solid position under a jerk you need a pair of strong legs, good sized hip girdle and a fair sized, square, powerful waist. Otherwise, when you get a heavy weight overhead you will find your midsection flopping around like a reed in the wind. I can't see that fat on the waist would be any particular advantage in the jerk, but it remains a fact that a large number of the greatest jerkers down through history have been men with quite large waists. This is not true all the way down, of course, for we have Schemansky, who has not an ounce of fat on his waist, tho tho tho tho tho he has a good sized muscular waist of strong formation. Davis carries very little excess flesh on his waist tho(!) his waist is by no means small.
It will come as something of a shock to some of the bodybuilders for me to say that the wasp waist, slender hips and tapering chest they have been striving for so long is a sign of weakness. Nevertheless it is true. The wide hips, thick, square waist (excluding any fat) and barrel like lower chest is the true sign of power, vitality, energy and physical ability of the HE MAN. This type of formation first of all has many leverage advantages. I would say that this is the main reason that bodybuilders are so terrific at the bench press (the bench gives them solid support for their powerful arms, shoulders and chest muscles to operate from). Their thin, slender waist and hips fail to support them properly on overhead lifts. A 29 or 30 inch waist is neither a sign of strength of health. That abdominal fat is burned away that nature intended as a natural support for the digestive and eliminative organs. With this loss a prolapsus [a condition in which an organ has moved down out of its usual position] is likely to occur with consequent abdominal distress.
A lifter of 5'10" to 6' should have a 34 inch waist or nearly so. Of course, I realize that some men have a naturally small hip formation and also small lower chest. Very little can be done about this but you find the strongest men in the jerks and presses usually have substantial hips. waist and lower chest.
There are a few other physical characteristics that will prove themselves distinct advantages in the jerk. Of course you need powerful legs for the drive. You need a strong back to give a rigid support to the weight but the biggest advantage you can have is a pair of arms that have a good elbow lock. Such arms that lock out very well are a tremendous advantage in holding heavy jerks.
Schemansky has arms such as these.
Another great advantage will be very flexible shoulders.
I have known many men whose shoulders were so stiff that when they completed a jerk it would be about six inches in front of a vertical line. They are doing, in effect, a mild form of hold out in front and of course can't hold their maximum poundages at arms' length. We will work on these shoulders in later installments of this series.
Meanwhile . . .
We also feel that the ability to hold the elbows high is another advantage tho not quite as important as the other items above. This too requires shoulder flexibility of a different type as well as certain proportion between the upper and lower arms.
Schemansky holds the world record because he is a scientific lifter to the Nth degree. Hepburn jerks more than any other man ever because he is extremely powerful. Both men have the advantage of flexible shoulders and good arm lock.
I know of no GOOD jerkers who do not have at least a fair arm lock and shoulder flexibility. Pete George and Sheppard have a good lockout. Kono has a fair lockout, as have Davis and Stanczyk. Bobby Higgins, on the other hand, has very poor lockout and stiff shoulders. Even tho he held world records in the press and was world champion because of his fine press he could not come close to the jerk records because of this poor arm lockout.
A jerk record holder will split under the jerk and lock those arms under the weight and hold it with a firm bone support whereas the poor fellow with the poor lockout will have to stand there and fight the weight (often a losing battle) with muscle power alone.
Elbow height in the "prepare to jerk" position varies. The photos of Davis and Stanczyk show a medium height elbow placement. Kinnunen shows the elbows high positioning. Not everyone can assume this position; those with short forearms in proportion to the upper arm, or excellent shoulder flexibility are required. In this position the bar rests on the deltoids and is an inch or so higher than when held with elbows down lower. I have always felt this was the best position for maximum jerking efficiency if you are built for it. The extra height you start the bar from is an advantage. In addition to this, you have a much more solid foundation for transmitting the leg drive to the bar with shocking force.
Many men will have such poor arm leverage that when they hold the bar at the shoulders the elbows will be against their sides. A lot of them will jerk from this position. I have seen men jerk with the bar held in the hands and with arms, bar and hands held completely free of all other support. Naturally they didn't do much of a job because they could not impart any leg drive to the bar when it was waving around there in their hands.
I once knew a leading lifter who tried to do his jerks with the bar held at about chin level. Of course this is against present rules and he could not jerk very well but he did win contests because he was so good on the snatch and press. Don't ask me why he lifted that way. Just a peculiar notion he had gotten somewhere. He also made his leg drive with the feet split about a foot apart. When I finally convinced him that he should give the bar a solid support and lift with the feet in line his jerk went way up.
If you have arms that prevent you from raising the elbows then you may find it gives you a solid support to bring them in and rest the arms on your chest as you can. In other words, do all you can to attain a solid foundation. Some men find it necessary to place a towel on the chest to keep the knurling on the bar from cutting the skin. It is better, however, to wrap tape around the knurling if it is that sharp.
In preparing for the jerk you should come to the correct position as quickly as possible to avoid any waste of energy. Do not hold the bar at the shoulders any longer than necessary. You should be able to come to the correct position at once -- take a deep breath and jerk.
You should bring your feet to within about one foot of each other. This distance will vary depending on your height. Find the position where you have the maximum leg drive with toes pointed out slightly. Stand solidly on both feet and keep the spine straight.
Most lifters will tilt the head upward slightly as seen by looking at the photo above of John Davis. This head position will be maintained throughout the jerk. The chest should be lifted high with a deep breath and the proper position of the arms and hands taken depending on what you find best for you according to your build. Most men will use about the same grip on the jerk as on the press. Davis used this narrow grip in his early years and did well with it, though of recent years he has used a much wider grip.
A wider grip will often allow for more flexibility in the shoulders and permit the weight to be carried back over the head where it can be held more solidly. We have seen a few men use a very wide grip successfully.
A medium grip is usually found best.
A few men will change the width of the grip after the bar is at the shoulders.
If you clean with a hook grip you will usually want to release the hook and some men prefer the jerk with a thumbless grip. Most men use the standard thumbs around bar grip for the jerk. It is more a matter of choice than of any superior value that one grip might have over another.
We haven't gotten far with the jerk this issue but we want to tell you about every variation and next issue we will get into a little more action. There is much to study about the jerk and it is all so interesting that I'm sure you will want to follow every installment.
Note: The whole Clean & Jerk series by Rader is in 9 issues.
This one is from Vol. 12 Number 5.
The series is in these issues of IronMan:
Vol 12 - 2
Vol 12 - 3
Vol 12 - 4
Vol 12 - 5
Vol 12 - 6
Vol 13 - 1
Vol 13 - 3
Vol 13 - 4
Vol 13 - 5
It'd be sweet to have the whole series online.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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