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Coaches Corner
by Rob Wagner
Powerlifting Technique Part II
In part one of this article I discussed some universal lifting techniques. This meant all lifters, regardless of the style of lift they performed, could use these techniques. The first article covered the squat and some bench techniques. In this article I will finish discussing the bench press techniques and also discuss the deadlift. As I had noted in part one, coaches and lifters should be incorporating these techniques into practice for every training session.
The Bench Press cont. -
My prior technical advice in the bench press left off with a discussion of setting the shoulders back into the bench and the use of the lats during the bench. I would like to start off now by continuing along the same notion. It is important from a biomechanical aspect that the elbows are rotated in or kept close to the body during the lift. By keeping the elbows in you can delay or avoid getting your upper arms in the no triceps zone. This is the sticking point near the top of the lift when your upper arms are at 90' angles (in relation to the torso). At this point the only thing the triceps can do is slide the hands outward (extension), the position of the upper arms does not allow the triceps to move the bar upward. Needless to say, sliding the hands is impossible to do with a significant weight and the danger of this approach is obvious. Keeping the elbows in does not mean that the elbows have to be in contact with the ribcage. Instead always try to create an angle with the upper arm (in relationship to the torso) that is smaller than 90'. There are two approaches that will aid you in doing this. One is to simply rotate the elbow joint internally (toward the body) when the arms are straight at the beginning of the lift. This medial rotation involves the use of the lats as mentioned in the previous article. Another way to approach this is to think of bending the bar by pulling on it. Imagine that the bar is positioned on a post and you are attempting to pull the ends down. Either one of these methods will help you to keep the elbows in on the descent and ascent of the bar. This position should be held for the duration of the lift if possible.
When I mentioned creating an angle with your upper arms, the size of the angle can be determined by the bar's placement on the chest. The typical approach for bar placement is usually described as bringing the bar to the nipples or below the nipple line. Instead, I would suggest that the bar be lowered to the highest point on the torso. For most lifters with the exception of some females this area is the top of the abs or the base of the ribcage right around the xiphoid process. The exception here would be for any individuals who have a point higher than this (hence my reference to females). Not only does this positioning of the bar help put the arms in a more efficient position but it also reduces the distance you have to press the bar.
Before the bar is lowered it is important to get a full breath of air. This should be done before you have the bar in your hands. Holding the weight and then trying to inhale will diminish the amount of air you can inhale since your ribs ability to expand will be reduced. The more air in the chest the higher the chest will sit. The breath should be held until you reach your sticking point. Letting it out earlier can create a loss of stability and can effect your pressing strength. As with the squat, the speed of the descent of the bar is important. In the competitive lift the bar must be held momentarily before it can be pressed. This drastically reduces the stored energy potential of the muscle, its connective tissue and the supportive bench shirt. It is important to lower the bar to the chest in a controlled and rapid descent regardless of bench style. The less energy used in the descent will provide more to use in the ascent in addition to what elastic energy may be left in the afore mentioned tissues and materials. How do you descend in a controlled and rapid fashion? Think of pulling the bar to you instead of letting it fall to your chest. This will help you to control the weight while you work on increasing the speed of the descent.
The Deadlift -
The first piece of technical of advice I give to athletes when they deadlift is the proper positioning of the bar over the foot when they prepare to lift the bar from the floor. The bar should be placed over the portion of the foot that is directly below where the bar will rest at completion of the lift. To determine this, hang a string with a small weight on the end from the bar. The length of the string should be equal to the distance between the bar and your foot at lockout. Be certain that your legs are straight when you try to find this position. You also need to be upright as if standing in your stance with no backward lean. By placing the bar correctly over the foot at the start, the bar is in a position to travel a fairly straight line to lockout. Starting with the bar behind this position forces the lifter to bring the bar forward before they can effectively finish the lift. This can not only create a problem by dumping the weight into the low back too soon, but it may also increase the friction you experience as you bring the bars up the legs. The bar will move faster through the air than it will when frictional forces become involved. The opposite situation of having the bar forward of this point is also problematic since it can pull the lifter to their toes at the start of the lift. One way of remedying the latter situation is to always think of pulling the bar into the body.
Once the feet are properly positioned it is time to find your focal point. This shares the same importance as it does in the squat. If the head is down the back has a tendency to round. Keeping the head up or in a neutral position will prevent this from happening. The focal point will help to maintain the head position throughout the lift.
During the set up when you are preparing to pull the bar two things need to done that involve the lower body. The first is that you create tension in the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and the spinal erectors. Most beginners understand the quads and low back but rarely see the significance of the hams and glutes. The best way to tighten the low back is to think about lifting the rib cage up or another approach is to try to simultaneously stick out your butt and your belly. The problem with not creating tension in the hams and glutes relates to the function of the pelvis. It is the origin of all the spinal erectors, adductors, gluteus (along with the sacrum) and hamstrings. All of these muscles play a role in the extension of the hips or pelvis (moving them forward). If the hams and glutes are slack at the initial pull (which is created by the quads), the pelvis will rotate to the rear when you drive your legs. This will put you into the infamous straight leg deadlift position. Think of the hams and glutes as cables that tie your hips to the bar so that they can't rotate away from it. By making the hams and glutes tight you will create a better connection between your hips and the bar when you start to pull.
The second thing that needs to happen along with creating tension in the legs and hips is to get the torso in an upright position. Keep in mind that your torso position needs to be one that still allows effective pulling to occur. For example, having the legs in a parallel to the floor position may create an upright look, but if you can't create tension as mentioned previously or you're just plain weak from that position you need to change your approach. Typically speaking an upright position should have the following criteria. Your knees are lower than your hips and your hips are lower than your shoulders. By putting yourself in this position and then creating tension in the muscles mentioned you will be better able to maintain this posture.
Once you have gotten the feet and the lower body set, it is now time to lengthen your arms. That's right let the arms gets pulled out or allow them to extend prior to your initial pull. You can do this in concert with the setting up phase by pulling at the bar using your entire body with a force that will put tension in your arms and stretches them, yet is not great enough to break the bar from the floor. This is also known as taking the slack out of the bar. As with the other lifts the lungs being filled with air is vital prior to the ascent of the lift. In the dead it is no different. A big breath that will fill the lungs should be taken prior to the initial pull. This air should be held until the bar approaches lockout where it can be released. Some even advocate the release of air because it allows the hips to rotate forward with less resistance at the lockout. By putting these pieces of technique together you should have a situation that when the initial pull occurs, the hips, shoulders and bar should all move together. If this is not happening then you have to reassess the points mentioned earlier.
The above techniques can be applied to all lifting styles. If you have noticed, the techniques that are discussed deal primarily with the setup portion of the lift. By preparing yourself to be in the proper position before the lift can make a difference in your performance levels. Just like any other sporting activity the preparation of the physical and technical aspects of the athlete before he or she performs the actual event can often allow them to perform optimally. It is much harder to change position or to readjust technically once the weight has started to move. By practicing these techniques on a regular basis and making them habitual you too will be on the way to performing optimally.
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