If you happen to have been following the weightlifting world as of recently you may have noticed that the 2013 Weightlifting World Championships are going on right now in Poland. If you have been following it even closer on sites like www.Allthingsgym.com you also may have noticed that all the Chinese seem to do is break world records.
Why is this? If you watch the Chinese compared to any other lifter you may notice one slight difference, the Chinese move better than anyone else on the platform. If you only compare the Chinese weightlifters to each other you will notice slight variations in each of their techniques (Or in Lu Xiaojun’s case a huge technical difference where he squat Jerked 204 kg’s to win this year’s 77kg world title).
NOTE: The squat Jerk while very fast is usually not as consistant of a movement as the split jerk. Google search Lu Xiaojun Squat Jerk or even better check it out on Youtube. It is amazing.
Consistent focus on developing YOUR specific technique is key. When I say consistent I mean every time that you lift. At this point in weightlifting history you’re not going to re-write the book on technique but every time you lift you should be focused on getting into good positions based on your body type. You can do this by making sure you are getting in to the same start position every time you lift. If you have a hard time getting into a squat maybe you turn your toes out 5-10 degrees and lift with a slightly wider stance. Make sure you do this every time you lift. The following is my start check list….
– feet hip width
– toes straight ahead
– knees pushed out against my elbows (hip torque)
– Chest up (back tight), eyes on the horizon
Pretty soon you will have a nice little start position check list. The more specific and consistent you become the more lifts you will make and the easier it will become to pick out errors in your lifting. If you think you need to make a change, change 1 thing at a time and focus on it for the entire training session, maybe even the entire week. This way you will know if what you changed worked. Eventually your end goal is to have every lift look exactly the same whether its the 45 lb bar or a 300 lb snatch; something the Chinese are very good at.
Written by: Nic Scudamore
Lift heavy, lift often, dream and repeat.