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Powerlifting Technique |
| Standing upright Referees seem to be taking more and more notice of the position of the lifter. Excessive forward leaning is not allowed and will hinder the start signal. The whole torso should remain rigid. This can be achieved 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 taking a big breath that will be held for the duration of most of the lift. Another trick to maintaining this position is to find a point to focus on straight ahead. This will help to maintain your head in a neutral position. Foot placement Personal preference will determine the ideal foot placement. I suggest you begin with a stance that is slightly wider than shoulder width. Ideally, I like to be slightly wider than this to maximise the strength of the hips and glutes. Squatting The first movement should be back from the hips and not bending from the knees. This will help ensure that the bar remains in line with the feet and also keeps the knees from shooting over the toes, which can create balance and depth problems. The descent The speed of the decent is important. The key word is control. However you need to be cautious not to be too slow as this is counterproductive. I am a fan of a controlled speed until you reach about two inches from parallel when I accelerate. The helps you reach depth. Again, caution is important particularly if not supportive equipment is being used.  Hitting depth Depth is the most important part of the squat is hitting the right depth. IPF rule require the lifter to break parallel. Training at proper depth at all times ensures that you will compete at proper depth. Leave no doubt in the minds of the referees. This will only happen if you train below parallel. The ascent Driving out of "the hole" will determine the colour of the lights. I like to think about driving hard with my hips and glutes and ensuring my chest remain upright and driving forward. At the completion of the lift you must remain upright with your hips and knees locked. It is the completion of these little things which is so important. Bench Press Your feet You should actively push the foot into the floor and maintain this pressure throughout the lift. You should squeeze and contract you glutes, quads and hamstrings.  The arch Arching the back is an important part of bench pressing. A big arch is difficult to develop and this will improve over time. In the early stages, I try to get the lifter to do two things to help them shorten the range of motion. Firstly, pushing the shoulders back and sqeezing the shoulder blades together. Secondly, pushing the chest up as high possible. It is important that the glutes and head remain in contact with the bench at all times. The grip The maximum allowable grip is 81 cm. Ideally, your grip should be at the maximum. However, this width can be hard on the outer chest and shoulders. I suggest you progressively move to this width. Do it slowly until you are comfortable. I believe that a grip which is too narrow will eventually restrict your chance to reach your true lifting potential. 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 should also squeeze the bar as hard as you can. The descent I like to focus on a point on the ceiling above. This point is where I want the bar to finish up. When the bar is taken out of the rack you need to think about pushing the shoulders back and keeping the chest high. Lower the bar at a good even speed. If you lower it too slowly you will compromise your ability to drive it from your chest. As discussed, this will shorten the distance the bar has to travel. You should aim to lower the bar from a locked out position to a point low on your chest. The line of the bar will be a slight arc. Whendescending I think about tucking my elbows. This helps you control the descent as well as engaging the triceps for the press.  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 press In competition you need to pause on your chest. This factor is the equivalent of squatting below parallel. That is, it generally catches lifters out. I suggest you regularly practice the pause in training. Once the bar is stationary on your chest, you need to drive the bar back to the lockout position. I like to drive backwards in a slight arc towards my face. Some lifters prefer the "straight down and straight up" approach to benching. This is because it shortens the range of the movement. You will develop you own style as you practice your lifting. The discussion above will hopefully provide you with some basic ideas to develop and refine your technique. Remember, perfect practice makes perfect. Next week, I will talk about deadlift technique and preparation for your first competition. Craig McGuigan 13 December 10 |
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