CROSSFIT - Starr Pulling Exercises

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J O U R N A L A R T I C L E S

Pulling Exercises Hip It Before You Whip It

Bill Starr

Start all barbell pulls with a controlled precise form that tracks the hips It rsquoll help you get bigweight off the floor smoothly and ready to accelerate upward in a blur

Learning how to pull a weight off the floor or a platform correctly can help every strength athlete to betterperform a number of very beneficial exercises power cleans power snatches full cleans full snatches clean

and snatch grip high-pulls and conventional deadlifts (These form points do not apply to sumo-style cleansand deadlifts which I will deal with in a future presentation)

Although every exercise in strength training consists of a start middle and finish learning how to get a strongstart in those pulling exercises is most critical for success with heavy weights







2 of 6

Pulling Exercises Hip It (continued)

It has been my observation that most athletes do not payclose enough attention to this essential aspect of a lift fromthe floor Instead they casually jerk the weight upwardthinking ahead to the finish But if the start is not perfectfor a max attempt the lift is generally missed Unless ofcourse light weights are being used Then the finer formpoints arenrsquot a big factor However when the weights get

demanding technique is paramount for a successful lift

When a weight is moved off the floor incorrectly the oddsof completing the lift go way down This is because whenthat first move isnrsquot right the middle and top are adverselyaffected sometimes to a great extent This is particularlytrue for power snatches and power cleans since the bar hasto be pulled very high Conversely when the start is doneperfectly following through into the middle and finish ofthe lift is a great deal easier to do correctly Should the barmove out of the proper line during the start problemswill occur So time must be spent honing the techniquefor the start if an athlete wants to steadily move thetop-end numbers

Find Your Own Ideal Starting Positionmdashand Keep ItIn order to do a perfectly executed start on a pullingexercise an athlete has to first find where his strongestposition is It needs to be pointed out that there is morethan one ideal starting position These vary from athleteto athlete and are determined by height body type andwhere their seat of power lies

For example a taller athlete can utilize his height by settinghis hips rather high at the start of a pull This allows him touse his longer levers which is always a plus in weightlift-ing Yet this higher starting position is only beneficial whenthe athlete is able to maintain it in a strict fashion Shouldhis hips rise up too rapidly then he will no longer be in astrong pulling position He will be in a posture that allowshim to pull less forcefully When this happens he needs tolower his hips to where he can lock into that strong start Those who possess very strong hips and legs can utilizethat source of power by starting with their hips a bit lowerAgain that starting position whether it be with the backparallel to the floor or much lower than that must be heldfirmly through the initial pulling motion

Irsquove watched many Olympic lifters get set and just beforethey break the bar off the platform they shift their hips

either up or down slightly What theyrsquore doing is selectingtheir strongest position to move the weight upward Thissearching move wastes energy and is not exact The correctthing to do is to lock into the preferred starting position

and not waver an iota on every single rep Once an athletehas learned how to do that consistently he is well on hisway to heavier poundage on all his pulling exercises

The Barrsquos Rise Should Track the HipsSo Donrsquot Jerk the Start or Bend Arms too Early The basic rule is that the bar must climb upward at the

exact same rate as the hips Concentrate on that simpleidea and that movement and the rest of the lift willgo smoothly

Unfortunately strength-training rookies often neglect thebasic barhip equation and rush the start on their powercleans or power snatches They believe if they can makethe bar jump off the floor theyrsquoll have a better chance ofpulling the bar higher Not necessarily

If that fast start is done perfectly and followed by a flawlessmiddle and top then it indeed is an asset However unlessan athlete has spent a great deal of time practicing hisform on the start which beginners have not then in all

likelihood that attempt at jerking the weight off the flooris going to be detrimental Herersquos why

Jerking the bar upward will almost always carry it out ofthe correct line of pull Usually the bar will run forward

The quick start will also result in the arms bending toosoon the hips rising up too fast and the back rounding Allthese are negatives and will greatly reduce the amount ofweight used on an exercise

Bending the arms before the bar has passed the waistforces the lifter to lean forward taking him out of a strongmiddle and top position Plus bending the arms too earlyalso affects the finish The traps need to be contracted

before the arms bend When these two groupsmdashtraps andarmsmdashwork in a smooth coordinated movement the barwill jump at the top allowing the lifter to rack the bar onhis shoulders or kick it out overhead

When the back rounds it is no longer in the ideal positionto let the lifter apply full power to the bar at the criticalfinish portion of the exercise So a fast start is only helpfulto those who have built rock-solid bases and drilled ontheir form over the course of several years It just doesnrsquothappen overnight For everyone else a controlled startis a smarter approach Then the athlete can concentratefully on the many aspects of that initial move and when hedoes that correctly the rest falls in place nicely

In other words to be successful with a max attempt on apower clean or power snatch the bar does not have to comeoff the floor fast More important than speed of movementat this stage is being able to elevate the bar in a very tight







3 of 6


line and keep all the groups involved in that effort fullycontracted and locked in place At the start of any pullingmovement form wins out over speed

The speed comes later through the middle and at theconclusion of the lift The bar moves upward like a whipmdashslow at the beginning gaining speed through the middleand no more than a blur at the top This means that themost important aspect of that initial pull is that it must bein a precise line

A Common Pair of ProblemsLack of Mastery and Weak Links There are basically two reasons why beginners and otherspull the bar off the floor improperly One they have notbeen taught how to do this move correctly or havenrsquot doneenough reps to have mastered the technique Secondlyathletes even experienced ones break form at the startsimply because one or more of the muscle groups thatare responsible for this act are not quite strong enough tohold the body in the proper position

For example an athlete is doing full cleans and as he worksup to his target number for that day his start is perfect Yeton the max attempt his hips rise up too rapidly causing

the bar to run forward and he misses the lift His form breakwas a direct result of a relative weakness in those musclesinvolved in holding his hips in the correct placement at thestart This is usually the lower back but it could also be thehips themselves or the adductors or hamstrings

In other cases when the weights get heavy the athletebegins to round his back excessively which moves thebar away from his body and out of the intended line ofpull So before an athlete can move forward number-wise on his pulls he has to take time to strengthen theweaker area or areas A point thatrsquos often overlooked isthat form is dependent on strength As an athlete growsstronger he must constantly be on the lookout for signsof weaker muscles A great many are involved in stabilizingthat starting position for the pulls hips quads hamstringsadductors abductors calves lumbars lats and rhomboids

traps shoulders and arms And the abs play a role as wellIt would appear as if nearly every group in the body is partof the startmdashand this would be right

If a certain muscle group displays a glaring weakness itneeds direct attention right away It does no good to keephammering away on an exercise that cannot be donewith heavy weights because of a weak link Most can becorrected in a short period of time with some specificwork Should a lifter determine that his hamstrings are theproblem in not being able to hold the solid start on hispulls get on a machine and knock out two to three setsof twenty at every workout A sign that an athlete has rela-tively weak adductors is when his knees turn inward onthe heavy attempts Again the machine will do the job ifyou hit it diligently three sets of twenty at every session

Notice the difference between the set up position and the pulling position even though the bar has yet to moveThis last-minute shift is disadvantageous







4 of 6

When the back rounds too much figure out what segmentis lagging behind It could be the middle or top but morethan likely itrsquos the lower back causing the trouble Starthitting the lumbars with back hypers and reverse backhypers at every trip to the gym and start leaning hardon the good mornings While calves are not thought ofas being body parts that may influence the start if theyare way out of proportion in relationship to the rest of theleg they can indeed be responsible for a shaky start Threesets of thirty three-times-a-week will cure that weakness ina hurry

Itrsquos most important that you identify weak areas and ifyou do not have the luxury of a good coach or trainingmate who knows what hersquos doing this can be a difficulttask While I do not encourage lifters to train in front of amirror on a regular basis it can be useful in this regard Anathlete may not even be aware that his hips are rising uptoo much But a session in front of the mirror will quicklyreveal those form flaws

However do not get in the habit of always lifting in front ofa mirror Yoursquoll quickly become dependent on visual ratherthan tactile cues In a short period of time yoursquoll find thatyou canrsquot do a lift without watching yourself in a mirrorFor anyone planning on lifting in a contest this will beextremely troublesome

The Finer Points of Foot Placement Grip Hipsand Creating a Solid Base

Irsquoll mention several other ways to improve overall strengthfor the starting position but now I want to go over thespecific form points for that first move off the floor Irsquoll usethe clean as my example Everything pertains to any form

of snatching as well except the grip is wider

Foot position Pulling a heavy weight off the floor startswith the feet To find the best foot placement for pullingshut your eyes and prepare to do a standing broad jump Thatrsquos your most powerful thrusting positionmdashfeet atshoulder width with toes pointed forward

Step up to the bar and set your feet so that your shins are

touching it This is the most common mistake beginnersmake They set the bar 3-4rdquo away from their legs The barmust be tight against your legs if you want a perfect start

Handgrip Reach down and assume your grip To utilizethe grip that fits most except for those with narrow or verywide shoulders extend your thumbs on an Olympic baruntil they barely touch the smooth center

Hips Setting the hips may take some trial and errorSetting them as high as parallel to the floor works well forsome while others need to lower them to a place wherethey feel comfortable Regardless of where you set yourhips two things must be done

1 Your frontal deltoids must be out in front of the barNot a lot but an inch or two

2 You must have a very flat back No rounding at allFor those who have difficulty getting the feel of whatIrsquom after I have them stand up lock their shoulderblades together then lean down and grip the barwhile maintaining that strict back posture


Notice that the bar and hips rise at the same rate the back angle doesnrsquot change and the bar stays in contact with the shins







5 of 6

Solid base Look straight ahead not up or down Nowyoursquore in the correct position to start the pull But beforeyou do take a moment to create a solid base First lockyour feet into the floor This can be accomplished by tryingto grip it with your toes Imagine a bird gripping a tree limbOnce thatrsquos done itrsquos rather easy to tighten the muscles inthe rest of you body starting with your legs moving on upto your hips back shoulders and arms Become a coiledspring of muscle

Practicing the Deadlift is KeySince the initial move is so critical to success it has to bedone precisely In order to achieve an ideal start donrsquotthink about pulling the bar off the floor Rather think ofpushing your feet down through the floor while maintain-ing a rock-solid body position When you do that the baralmost magically lifts off the floor Once itrsquos set in motionkeep it moving in the same controlled manner guiding itupward still snug against your legs with your hips rising atthe exact same rate as the bar

As readers are well aware what I just described is a deadliftusing a clean grip

(Note As the bar passes your knees you enter the secondor middle pull of the clean which is covered in the articleldquoScoop amp The Second Pullrdquo)

The deadlift is the basic move used to improve the start ona number of exercisesmdashpower or full clean power or fullsnatch or clean and snatch grip high-pullsmdashfor a simplereason the muscles and attachments involved in it haveto be strengthened in order to lift more weight in any ofthose exercises

A frequently told story about Norbert Schemansky oneof Americarsquos greatest Olympic lifters is pertinent A younglifter approached Ski and asked ldquoWhat can I do to improvemy overhead pressrdquo Ski replied ldquoPressrdquo ldquoWell how aboutmy squatrdquo The answer ldquoSquatrdquo

Simple but accurate which in this case means that thevery best exercise to do to improve strength in that startof the pull is the deadlift I know that quite a few Olympiclifters and coaches of that sport shun deadlifts saying theyare done too slowly and belong to the powerlifters notthose doing the dynamic lifts

Not true Deadlifts have great value to Olympic lifters andothers who incorporate some quick lifts like power cleans

and power snatches into their routines However Irsquom nottalking about the type of deadlifts that most powerliftersemploy where they round their backs during the lift AlsoI donrsquot think really heavy poundages need to be used in

order for the kind of deadlift I recommend to be beneficialSince form has to be perfect on every rep the amount ofweight used is much less than when an athlete pulls sucha heavy load that the back rounds

The Big Three Exercises for a Strong Start Three exercises that I utilize to build greater strength in the

starting position are 1 halting deadlifts 2 deadlifts donefrom a lower starting position and 3 isotonic-isometricspulls in the power rack These are particularly helpful tothose athletes who have moved into the intermediateor advanced levels They also can be useful to beginnersbut in most cases they are better off attacking the weakergroups that I went over earlier

Exercise 1Halting deadliftsHalting deadlifts are just what the name implies You pullthe bar up to mid-thigh and pause for a 2-3 second countthen lower it in a very controlled manner back to the floorBoth the up and down movements are done very delib-

erately This forces all the groups involved to work muchharder The back has to stay flat as a board the knees arenot allowed to turn in and the hips must climb upward inconcert with the bar And of course the arms stay straightthroughout the frontal deltoids are always out in front ofthe bar and the bar is tucked in snugly against the legsPause at the bottom long enough to make sure all yourmechanics are right then do the next rep The longer youpause at the top of the movement at mid-thigh the moreitrsquos going to help you but you may not be able to hold forvery long at first

These as everyone quickly discovers are tough Five repsare plenty for four to five sets At the first workout on thesevery few are able to handle a weight equal to their bestcleanmdashwhich is okay In strength training it doesnrsquot matterwhere you start only where you end up Halting deadliftsnot only strengthen all the groups and their attachmentsthat are involved in the start but it also helps reveal weakerareas These usually show up on the fourth or fifth rep ofthe work sets Once these are identified take the necessarysteps to strengthen them Start off with relatively lightpoundages so you can get the feel of the technique thencontinue to add weight on each set just as long as yourform is perfect

However should form break down in any way stop and

lower the weight A set done flawlessly is worth more thanone done with sloppy form with twenty more poundsWork these regularly once or twice a week and yoursquoll soon








6 of 6

be using fifty more pounds than you did at that first sessionAt that point they will have a direct positive influence onyour power cleans full cleans clean high pulls and evenfull deadlifts

You can also do halting deadlifts with a snatch grip Usestraps on all of these recommended exercises Straps will

let you focus fully on the exercise itself without beingdistracted with trying to hold onto the bar once theweights get in the demanding range

Exercise 2Pulling from a lower positionAnother way to improve the start is to deadlift with the barat a lower position than normal This is useful for beginnersall the way up to very advanced strength athletes anditrsquos rather simple to do Just use 25-pound plates on theOlympic bar instead of 45s Or if you normally use bumperplates use the metal 25s Pulling from this slightly lowerstarting position brings some different muscles into themix The key to making these beneficial is to set the hips

extra low and not allow them to climb up fast or so highthat the exercise resembles an almost straight-leggeddeadlift Lock the lowered hips in place and squeeze thebar off the floor You can also do these as halting deadliftsalthough most prefer to do a full-range movement

Pulling from a lower position hits those groups that areresponsible for moving the bar off the floor very directlyand the results are immediate After your very first workouton these you will be able to tell that your start on any formof pulling exercise is stronger Plus yoursquoll be able to utilizeideal form I had one powerlifter try these a week later heimproved his personal best on the deadlift by 20 pounds

Exercise 3Pulls in the power rackIsotonic-isometric holdsmdashwhere a weighted bar is moveda very short distance no more than a couple of inchesthen locked into a pin and held for a specific countmdashwerepart of nearly every strength athletersquos routine during thesixties but then lost favor for a number of reasons that I willnot go into Suffice it to say they are extremely beneficialfor moving through sticking points and bringing weakerareas up to par Beginners and intermediates can do thesebut theyrsquore most useful to those who have been trainingfor some time mostly because experienced lifters are ableto concentrate more fully and this enables them to put

more effort into the contractionsMy rule on isometric holds is no less than eight secondsand no longer than 12 The isotonic part is when theweighted bar is lifted up to the top pins The isometric

contraction is when the weight is held tightly againstthose pins for a count With the loaded bar itrsquos easier to tellif yoursquore applying 100 With just a bar and no weight thisis more difficult

Position the pins inside a power rack so that when you dothe isometric contraction the bar will be lower than the

normal starting position when itrsquos pulled from the floormdashnot much but some While learning to do this highlyconcentrated form of exercise I find it best to do a coupleof warm-up sets before tackling the work set On the firstlight set do three reps Tap the upper pins on the first twothen hold the third rep for two to three seconds Do thesame thing on the second set with more weight On thework set you can follow that same procedure and lockthe third set and hold it for the required eight to twelveseconds Or you can lock in the first rep on the work setfor the count After you become familiar with the isotonic-isometric contractions you can just do one set a work set

Do these at the end of you workout or right after yoursquove

finished with a pulling exercise These can be done atevery session but only do one work set per workout Keepin mind that the amount of weight used is not nearly asimportant as being able to maintain perfect body position-ing while yoursquore locked into that isometric hold In mostcases less is better than more in terms of weight used

Concentrate on the various form points for the start of thepull steadily hone your technique identify any weakerareas then include one or more of the exercises Irsquovesuggested to strengthen those areas and yoursquoll quicklybe handing bigger numbers in a wide range of beneficial

exercises

983110

About The Author

Bill Starr is the author of the books The Strongest Shall Survive

Strength Training for Football Defying Gravity and thousands

of magazine articles He was the editor of Bob Hoffmanrsquos Strength

and Health Joe Weiderrsquos Muscle Builder and a nationally-ranked

Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter back in the day Bill was one of

the first professional strength coaches in the country has forgotten

more about training than most coaches will ever have the opportu-

nity to learn and makes a very convincing crab cake if you can talk

him into it

-Mark Rippetoe








2 of 6


It has been my observation that most athletes do not payclose enough attention to this essential aspect of a lift fromthe floor Instead they casually jerk the weight upwardthinking ahead to the finish But if the start is not perfectfor a max attempt the lift is generally missed Unless ofcourse light weights are being used Then the finer formpoints arenrsquot a big factor However when the weights get

demanding technique is paramount for a successful lift

When a weight is moved off the floor incorrectly the oddsof completing the lift go way down This is because whenthat first move isnrsquot right the middle and top are adverselyaffected sometimes to a great extent This is particularlytrue for power snatches and power cleans since the bar hasto be pulled very high Conversely when the start is doneperfectly following through into the middle and finish ofthe lift is a great deal easier to do correctly Should the barmove out of the proper line during the start problemswill occur So time must be spent honing the techniquefor the start if an athlete wants to steadily move thetop-end numbers

Find Your Own Ideal Starting Positionmdashand Keep ItIn order to do a perfectly executed start on a pullingexercise an athlete has to first find where his strongestposition is It needs to be pointed out that there is morethan one ideal starting position These vary from athleteto athlete and are determined by height body type andwhere their seat of power lies

For example a taller athlete can utilize his height by settinghis hips rather high at the start of a pull This allows him touse his longer levers which is always a plus in weightlift-ing Yet this higher starting position is only beneficial whenthe athlete is able to maintain it in a strict fashion Shouldhis hips rise up too rapidly then he will no longer be in astrong pulling position He will be in a posture that allowshim to pull less forcefully When this happens he needs tolower his hips to where he can lock into that strong start Those who possess very strong hips and legs can utilizethat source of power by starting with their hips a bit lowerAgain that starting position whether it be with the backparallel to the floor or much lower than that must be heldfirmly through the initial pulling motion

Irsquove watched many Olympic lifters get set and just beforethey break the bar off the platform they shift their hips

either up or down slightly What theyrsquore doing is selectingtheir strongest position to move the weight upward Thissearching move wastes energy and is not exact The correctthing to do is to lock into the preferred starting position

and not waver an iota on every single rep Once an athletehas learned how to do that consistently he is well on hisway to heavier poundage on all his pulling exercises

The Barrsquos Rise Should Track the HipsSo Donrsquot Jerk the Start or Bend Arms too Early The basic rule is that the bar must climb upward at the

exact same rate as the hips Concentrate on that simpleidea and that movement and the rest of the lift willgo smoothly

Unfortunately strength-training rookies often neglect thebasic barhip equation and rush the start on their powercleans or power snatches They believe if they can makethe bar jump off the floor theyrsquoll have a better chance ofpulling the bar higher Not necessarily

If that fast start is done perfectly and followed by a flawlessmiddle and top then it indeed is an asset However unlessan athlete has spent a great deal of time practicing hisform on the start which beginners have not then in all

likelihood that attempt at jerking the weight off the flooris going to be detrimental Herersquos why

Jerking the bar upward will almost always carry it out ofthe correct line of pull Usually the bar will run forward

The quick start will also result in the arms bending toosoon the hips rising up too fast and the back rounding Allthese are negatives and will greatly reduce the amount ofweight used on an exercise

Bending the arms before the bar has passed the waistforces the lifter to lean forward taking him out of a strongmiddle and top position Plus bending the arms too earlyalso affects the finish The traps need to be contracted

before the arms bend When these two groupsmdashtraps andarmsmdashwork in a smooth coordinated movement the barwill jump at the top allowing the lifter to rack the bar onhis shoulders or kick it out overhead

When the back rounds it is no longer in the ideal positionto let the lifter apply full power to the bar at the criticalfinish portion of the exercise So a fast start is only helpfulto those who have built rock-solid bases and drilled ontheir form over the course of several years It just doesnrsquothappen overnight For everyone else a controlled startis a smarter approach Then the athlete can concentratefully on the many aspects of that initial move and when hedoes that correctly the rest falls in place nicely

In other words to be successful with a max attempt on apower clean or power snatch the bar does not have to comeoff the floor fast More important than speed of movementat this stage is being able to elevate the bar in a very tight







3 of 6

















4 of 6






















5 of 6

























6 of 6















exercises

983110

About The Author









him into it

-Mark Rippetoe








3 of 6

















4 of 6






















5 of 6

























6 of 6















exercises

983110

About The Author









him into it

-Mark Rippetoe








4 of 6






















5 of 6

























6 of 6















exercises

983110

About The Author









him into it

-Mark Rippetoe








5 of 6

























6 of 6















exercises

983110

About The Author









him into it

-Mark Rippetoe








6 of 6















exercises

983110

About The Author









him into it

-Mark Rippetoe


CROSSFIT - Starr Pulling Exercises

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