 |
Coaches Corner
by Rob Wagner
Powerlifting Technique Part I
In this article I would like to present my thoughts on powerlifting technique for all three lifts. In part one I will discuss the squat and some bench techniques and in part two, I will finish the bench and present the deadlift information. Do not confuse my use of the word technique with lifting styles such as sumo and conventional deadlift or a wide grip bench press and a narrow grip bench. The techniques I will discuss are universal for all styles of lifting for the most part. Coaches and lifters should be incorporating these techniques into practice for every training session.
The Squat-
The first technique point that can be implemented deals with the placement of the bar. Regardless of whether the bar is carried low or high on the traps the platform for which the bar sits should remain rigid. An easy way to create what I like to call the shelf is by raising or rotating the elbows to the rear. This will be difficult if you place your hands close to the shoulders. By adjusting hand placement slightly outward you will find that you can do this. This will cause the traps to contract as well as the posterior delts. This position should be held through out the entire lift. The flexing of these muscles also seems to dampen the feeling of heaviness that a bar can elicit on the body. It's no different than forcefully squeezing your bicep when it relaxed versus when it is contracted. In the contracted state the squeezing is less noticeable.
The torso should also be held in a rigid upright fashion. This can be assisted by raising the rib cage or by trying to stick your butt and gut out at the same time. This position can also be assisted by the inhalation of air and I mean a big breath that will be held for the duration of most of the lift. The air fills the lungs and pushes outward increasing the interthoracic pressure. This pressure in turn helps to stabilize the spine working somewhat like an internal air bladder. Think about how a volleyball responds when you press on it, it usually pushes back. The breath should be held until the lifter reaches their sticking point. At that stage of the lift if air is let out it should be done so in a controlled manner as if leaking from a tire. Another trick to maintaining this position is to find a focal point to focus on. This will help to maintain your head in a neutral position. When the head sags down there is the potential for the upper back to round.
The next technique relates to the start of the squatting movement. I suggest that the lifter breaks the hips (opens them to the rear as if sitting) immediately prior to unlocking the knee joints while going into the descent. This will help ensure that the lifter is keeping the bar over his foot and also keeps the knees from shooting over the toes, which can create balance and depth problems. The balance of the lift should be guided through the arch of the foot. This means that the pressure you place in your foot should be in the arch. It may shift slightly forward or back but should never venture to the heel or the ball of the foot. Recovery of a max weight that is placed on these sections of the foot is very rare. The speed at which the descent occurs is also an important technique to be practiced in training. The general rule I suggest is that the speed should be faster versus slower. The main reason for this is that along with your equipment your muscles and their connective tissue have elastic components or properties. The quicker these tissues or materials stretch the greater the potential energy they can store. This stretching and energy storage effect can then provide assistance for the lifter in their initial force production. Depth is the final squatting technique I will present. Training at proper depth at all times ensures that you will compete at proper depth. If you don't have a coach have a partner watch you. Be clear in explaining this. One approach I take is that I squat to a depth where there is no question about my depth. Another approach is to use a video camera. Then you can be the judge of your own lifting.
Bench Press-
Starting with the feet on the floor is an important part of the bench press. The lifter should actively push the foot into the floor and maintain this pressure throughout the lift. This contraction of the legs should not only include the quads but the glutes and hams as well. Pressure should be exerted through the arch. This helps to keep the foot flat on the ground for the duration of the lift. It also helps in your ability to press. It makes sense since that when humans normally extend their arms in a forward push action the feet are typically ground based. Whether it is a reflex action or due to the increased muscle tension this can help your bench-pressing ability.
Before the bar is even brought out the lifter should find a focal point on the ceiling above (this is tough if your outdoors). The point should be where you want the bar to end up at the completion of the lift. This provides great feedback for the brain. It's similar to throwing a ball at an object. If you have a focus of where you want it to go it will more than likely go in that proximity. The path of the bar will follow this same logic. This will help to keep the bar from drifting out of the path. The bar placement in the palm is also very important. The bar should sit as close to the heel of the hand as possible. You want to try to get the bar over the ulna (fore arm bone on the pinkie side of the hand) to take advantage of this. This reflex is a protective one that can be witnessed when you fall forward and land on your hands. When pressure is placed on the end of the ulna it sends contraction signals to the triceps to extend the arm. Squeezing the bar also seems to aid in this technique. Whether it heightens the reflex response or their increased tension in the forearm provides better stability is unclear but it does seem to have a positive effect on bench pressing strength.
Once the bar is removed from the rack the shoulders should be dropped backwards to the bench. This can be done actively by retracting the shoulder blades or passively by simply letting the weight push them back into the bench. I suggest the active approach if you do not currently practice this in your benching. Once you are used to tightening the upper back, which is important for stabilization, and providing a foundation to push off, the passive approach works just as well. The shoulders should remain in this position until you have completed the lift. Many lifters feel compelled to extend the shoulders towards the bar to complete the lift. This is a wasted effort and actually increases the distance the bar is traveling. If instead you focus on just extending the arms you will actually reduce the distance of the bar path. This technique will also allow you to stabilize your upper arm more effectively along the sides of your body. This is the "use your lats" technique that everyone tells lifters to do but as in my case it took years to figure out. In the next article I will present more techniques on the bench press and on the deadlift. If you have questions or comments I can be contacted at rwagner@pobox.upenn.edu.
|
