The 1st Pull

So, we know the prerequisites of the Clean… or at least the stuff I feel are prerequisites and we’re now into what looks like a decent start position for us… what next?

Well, as with any lifting endeavour, the weight eventually has to move somewhere.

The First Pull

In weight lifting this first movement off the floor is called the first pull. In terms of how far the bar moves as part of the first pull kind of depends…

Depending on who you talk to its anywhere from the floor to at, or just above the knee. For me it all depends on proportions, and while you will always have to pass the knee before you start the 2nd pull (transition phase) so that the knees can start traveling forwards, some athletes may have to open up a little earlier, or later than others dependant on proportions.

I know ‘it depends’ is a bit of a cop out and people want hard and fast answers, but in general I try not to become dogmatic about things and without any other context other than creating a general framework that troubleshoots common problems, the best I can do in this article is ‘it depends.’

All phases of any movement will have a framework, but ultimately each phase of each movement will run into one another and are part of one big unstandardised system of limb and torso lengths, so from athlete to athlete, things may need change slightly and fire at slightly different times to optimise the movement for them.

One thing is for certain though, like in the start position, if you get this wrong they’ll be a knock on effect of errors, so it’s obviously important to get it right.

Breaking the bar off the floor

When I talk about breaking the bar off the floor, I’m talking about the first 1 to 2 inches of movement (Basically where Jack is in the picture at the top of the page). This for me is something I spend a lot of focus on and there’s 4 things I feel its important to know in order to get it right.

1. The weight distribution in the foot will shift.

   In terms of weight distribution, the weight will shift back almost immediately to the middle of the foot and this is where it’ll stay for the rest of the movement… so remember that because its an important point. This is purely a balance thing as its important to get the bar back over the mid foot as early as possible. While its probably not important to worry about how far forward, or back the weight in the foot is, its important not to be in either the heels, or on the toes as both will likely cause a change in back angle, errors in the movement and problems higher up the chain.

2. Your back angle won’t change!

   A change in back angle can occur because of a few things, the main ones being a weak back and erectors, or as discussed above, an undesired weight shift in the foot. Its important to maintain the back angle as this is what will help produce and maintain the desired bar path in relation to the body.

3. The big muscles of the legs and more specifically the quads must be the prime movers.

   Its NOT a deadlift and the Quads must be the prime movers, if we were to use the hamstrings the weight would shift back into the heel causing an undesired shift in torso angle and a change in shoulder to bar relationship. It would also be neigh on impossible to keep the bar close or lay down any power in the extension. Because we’re using the quads to push it allows us to maintain the back angle while allowing the shins to start to shift backwards, if you get it right, the shins will move out the way of the bar as it moves up the leg putting us in a good position ready for the second pull.

4. Control!

   Again this isn’t a deadlift, so don’t just rip it and hope for the best. Yes we’re looking to build momentum to use further up the chain, but correct position is important above all else. I often preach slow off the floor and have been known to use tempos until past the knee even on heavy 90%+ lifts.

Everything we do in the first pull and in the first one to two inches off the floor is solely to optimise mechanics and bar path to make it easier for ourselves further down the line. A small error here can be magnified later in the lift.

Passing the Knee

In all honesty, passing the knee isn’t all that complicated regardless of what you read, or who you talk to. However, it often gets made more complicated than it needs to by coaches and lifters because the start position isn’t quite right.

Ultimately, you’ve done the hard part. If you got your set up correct, broke the bar off the floor without losing position while pushing the quads and maintaining the angle of the back, your knees will move back quite naturally and by the time the bar passes the knee they should be vertical, or just about vertical.

It is literally that easy, by the very virtue of using the quads to move the bar all you’re essentially doing is standing up which means the shins will move mack and the knees will get out of the way on their own… Thats not to say blocks and pauses at the knee aren’t useful and if you struggle there, they’re always a great option.

Using the 1st pull to Fine Tune the Start Position

The start position and 1st pull are obviously linked as they come one after the other within the system and its pretty obvious you can’t have a good first pull without a good start position. However I also believe you can’t have a good start position without looking at the first pull too.

I feel like, as a coach, while I can describe and put you in what looks like a decent start position it can never truly be perfected without looking at it in conjunction with the first pull and how you pass the knee.

While passing the knee isn’t all that complicated if you get the rest right, problems can occur if you get it wrong lower in the chain meaning we can troubleshoot whats going on further down the chain by whats happening at the knee.

The most common error I see is that the bar kicking out and having to go around the knee to pass it. Obviously if the bar has to kick out to pass the knee, then the shins haven’t moved far enough back.

The fix?

Providing there were no other errors in the pull, we need to reduce shin angle, which can be done in numerous ways dependant on the lifter.

Raising the hips slightly higher (Change of back angle) in the start position can help, shifting the weight in the foot further forward can also be a possible fix or moving the bar further away from the shin could also be the fix. It all depends on the lifter.

Summary

Ultimately, regardless of anatomical differences causing variance in positions, just like in the start position we’re looking for certain markers within our technique.

1. Breaking the bar off the floor - The weight will shift back to the middle of the foot, the back angle will remain the same and the knees will start to shift back.

2. Floating to below the knee - Guess what, the weight remains in the middle of the foot, the back angle remains the same, the knees continue to shift back… We’re also looking for a vertical, or slight diagonal bar path towards the lifter as the bar moves through the movement.

3. At the knee or just past it - Weight distribution and back angle remain the same and the shins by this point should be vertical or near enough vertical. If the bar has to go around the knee and all the check points above have been hit, I advise re-looking at the start position and specifically hip height, back angle or weight distribution in the foot. I know I said forget about back angle in the start position, but this is the point when it becomes important.

Like the start position, everyone will look slightly different when lifting weights, however the intent of the movement will be the same for every lifter with the goal of the first pull being to put yourself in the best possible position to perform the 2nd pull.

Cues & Drilling

To put the whole movement into simple cues that you can keep in your head:

• Push with the quads

• Maintain the back angle

• Stay in the midfoot throughout

If you’re struggling specifically with the first pull, or start position I’d advise doing movements with a focus on the knee, or floating.

Of the movements I’ve used in the past I’ve found Floating Cleans / Low Hang Cleans are great for lifters who struggle with back tightness and general start position.

Cleans with a pause at the knee are great for those who struggle at the knee too.

You can also do Clean pulls to the knee to specifically strengthen and drill the movement or put it in a complex such as Clean pull to the knee + Clean.

They’re just some ideas, however i’m not going to prescribe anything definitive as it fully depends on the athlete.

With that, I’ll leave it there and we’ll cover the 2nd pull in the next post. In theory, compared to the other phases of the lift, this ones relatively simple, getting it wrong however can be disastrous.

Adam Johnston, 23rd February 2020