To clarify exactly what you should be looking for when performing your Olympic lifts, I will break down exactly what you should be looking for during the first two pulls of your Olympic lifts.

When maximizing force production, your body requires balance, which you can instantly improve by keeping more of your foot on the floor. When your nervous system detects instability, it effectively acts as a governor, or a controller, of muscular recruitment and subsequently reduces muscular recruitment as a self-preservation mechanism.

Similarly, the neurological system is ultimately responsible for force production via muscular recruitment. Both of which connect your body and mind to your environment.

One of the main features of this system is kinesthetic awareness and proprioception. Your neurological system is incredibly intuitive, and your nervous system effectively controls your entire body 24/7/365. Balanceįinally, a significant impairment in force production can be directly attributed to the loss of balance that is seen when less of your foot is on the floor. For this reason, when force production is at a premium, HELLO OLY LIFTS, it is absolutely vital to keep that entire foot on the floor while generating power. While the vertical jump is an extreme example, even subtle changes to the surface area, such as lifting your big toe off the floor during your 1st pull or a slight heel lift at power position, can lead to a significant reduction in force production. Which led to the better vertical leap? If you thought it was from tip-toes, try again. Next, jump as high as you can while keeping your entire foot on the ground. Stand up, wherever you are, and jump as high as you can while standing on your tip-toes. We can look to physics for mathematical proof of this phenomenon (Force = Surface Area * Pressure), or you can get off your keister for a minute and try this simple power generating exercise. The amount of surface area your two feet occupy when going through any given movement directly relates to the power you can generate. ConnectednessĪ proper stance merely sets you up to maximize your potential in any given movement, but it’s not only about where your feet are it’s also about how much of your foot is on the ground. If your feet are too narrow or too wide, issues such as losing connection to the floor with your whole foot or valgus knees (knees caving in) appear both of which retard force production. When you venture away from the ideal stance, you lose efficiency, which means a power reduction, which subsequently means a loss of intensity (INTENSITY = POWER = (FORCE x DISTANCE) / TIME).

Both Olympic Lifts have an optimal stance when starting, and they should be identical, which is hip-width apart. Your stance in any given movement predetermines your likelihood of success. The three things I believe to be most important when it comes to your feet and performance in the Olympic lifts are stance, connectedness to the floor, and balance. If you want to be a better lifter, you need to start paying attention to your feet. What I actually mean is: How often do you pay attention to what your feet are doing when training, and specifically during the snatch and the clean? How connected to the floor are you? How often do you analyze the weight distribution in your feet as you move? If the answer is “never,” it’s time to fix that. How often do you pay attention to your feet when you’re lifting? No, this isn’t a conversation about whether or not you should wear your OLY shoes or Nanos during your 6×3 Snatch work (although there’s a reason Olympians wear the shoes yes, you should too).

Tempo clean pull