I would like a form check for my power clean please.
I just started doing these and I want to get better at the Olympic lifts down the line (Clean & Jerk and Snatch).
Videos:
Question about form: Why is my rack position so upright and awful? Should I be catching the bar at a lower squat position?
Oleksiy's rack position of the power clean at 0:20 sec looks super balanced.
Question about technique: I was following the Starting Strength power clean tutorial where Mark teaches to come off the floor slow when learning the movement to get used to touching the bar at the mid thigh position (which they call the "jumping position"). They teach that every time the bar touches the mid thigh, we should jump up. This does feel a bit weird for me now. I don't know if that is because I am new at this or if I am creating the contact incorrectly.
Do you actually "hit" the bar on your upper thigh or does the bar just "brush" against your thigh? I mean when the bar passes you knee, are you thinking "I need to hit the bar hard on my mid thigh"? That is what I am thinking and I seem to be messing it up.
Question about training approach:
I know I am doing a lot of things incorrectly. And maybe the correct way to learn these exercises is in steps? Some lifters suggest breaking down the movement and working on each step for a while before making the full lift. I have seen two approaches:
A: Starting at the middle approach:
(1) Learn to create contact between the bar and the mid-thigh and then pull (throw?) the bar straight up (Starting Strength starts here and calls it the "jumping position", others call it the "power position"); (2) Repeat by starting with the bar just below the knees, and then continue by starting with the bar starting lower each time.
B: Starting at the top approach:
(1) Learn to do muscle cleans; (2) Learn the rack position, improve shoulder flexibility, and do lots of front squats; (3) Learn to create contact between the bar and the mid-thigh and then pull (throw?) the bar straight up ...
Which is a better approach?