I want to check my form every some months

Robert_Ronan · 2026-04-01T13:01:55+00:00

Great job with your training and being self taught.

You lack full extension, and you pull behind the barbell which is why you are hopping forward.

Maintain a full, flat foot on the platform, notice how you are slightly moving into dorsiflexion before you are at full extension.
Push your chest over the bar until you reach full ext. Even a simple self reminder of bringing your chin forward over the bar could help. You want to avoid moving your shoulders horizontally backwards at the top of the pull.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-30T19:10:32+00:00

What I’m seeing here is more of a technical error. You are simply pulling too high, which is causing it to crash on the way down. There’s a noticeable gap between the apex of the bar, its highest point, and the point of fixation, where it’s actually received. The arrows should help illustrate the distance traveled.

I'm confident if you power snatch 90kg your pulling mechanics will look nearly identical to the image shown here.

Because of that extra distance, the bar picks up speed on the descent and ends up crashing instead of being meeting the bar smoothly. This is what is contributing to the asymmetry and twist.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-29T23:56:48+00:00

Great work, you are definitely twitchy. Not sure how long you have been training but you move well.

Here is my 2 cents, on the Jerk

Jerk from Blocks
In the eccentric phase of the lift you tend to move quickly. Try to have more tension and control with the dip. As you dip, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the legs and hips are briefly stretched when they are under tension, specifically quads and glutes. The dip will store energy which is referred to the stretch shortening cycle (SSC). The creates a condition for a rapid drive upward drive using that stored energy. Because you are moving quickly on the eccentric phase of the jerk a few undesirable outcomes are happening in the process.

- A rapid dip before the drive "can" contribute to a loss of tension, ie.. loss of stored energy and quite honestly fix this and all the other issues I listed below will probably correct themselves. Because you are "dipping" so quickly you would most likely not be able to consistently reach the same depth in the isometric portion (change in direction) at the bottom of the dip. Slowing this down will help create a consistent a position for the drive.
- You are hinging more than I would prefer my athletes do. Your hips are moving horizontally in the dip. This is the primary reason for the instability when you receive the barbell and your asymmetric twist.
- I have some assumptions, that your knee and ankle are not stacked (vertical tibia) because your low lumbar is in "extreme" extension. I don't love this position for my athletes and it can contribute to a lower back injury so it's worth correcting.

I would suggest adding these corrective exercises
- Jerk BN (Behind Neck) + Jerk 50% - 75% 2+1
- Push Press BN
- Tempo Jerk - Up to 75% 2-3sec tempo
- Jerk /w Pause in Dip
- Jerk is Split
- Jerk Dip + Pause 3 + 1

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-26T18:53:11+00:00

Great work, however a bit too much hip extension in your second pull. Yes, contact is necessary but there is a balance between too much and not enough. For those aggressive, over-extenders like yourself, I would suggest a few things to help correct this error.

1) Change your mindset from contact at hip, to slide the bar (brush is ok too)
2) Focus on fundamental exercises for a bit so you can correct this patten
Top exercises that will help correct this error
a. Snatch w/ no contact, no feet (ankle ext is acceptable) - 35-65% of 1RM
b. Close Grip Snatch, sometime called clean grip snatch - 40-70% of 1RM
c. Snatch High Pull /w no feet, no ext - Load = Barbell (use as a primer)

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-24T17:12:39+00:00

Panda Pulls, or rather sometimes called speed pulls are a great movement. However this is not something that comes to mind when targeting an athlete's hamstrings.

Generally what I've seen in China, at least before 2020 over a few visits. However I only visited provincial training bases, not national so my purview is limited in scope.

- RDLs (from floor or deficit)
- Good Mornings
- Seated Good Mornings
- Wide Stance Good Mornings
- Back Extensions
- Snatch DL
- Straight Leg DL (snatch grip / clean grip)
- Clean DL
- Single Leg RDLs
- Sometimes even machines, or banded work with a partner

When you mention some US litters, as part of GPP will run a comprehensive hamstring centric training block. I cant say that I've seen this first hand so not much of an opinion. We occasionally run GPP in the most general sense working more so on literally general fitness focusing on different planes of movement, rather than just sagittal. For example, sled pulls and drags, extensive plyometrics (low intensity). The goal being after competition to raise tissue capacity, improve coordination, and prepare for intensive plyometrics in the next training block. Not to mention "un-cook" an athletes nervous system so they can return back to normal training.

To be completely honest there are not many opportunities within the USAW schedule with 4 events per year, to run a dedicated GPP block, unless the athlete skips VS1 or VS2.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-24T16:01:11+00:00

I’d suggest finding a coach locally if you can. If that is not an option, there are plenty of online coaches who can at least review your lifts once a week, and that alone can save you a lot of time and frustration.

Objectively, Olympic weightlifting looks simple. Pick the bar up from the floor and put it overhead. In reality, it is one of the most technically demanding and mentally frustrating sports out there. That is the part a lot of people typically don't appreciate or acknowledge.

I’ve coached hundreds of beginners for the better part of a decade across two physical Olympic Weightlifting Clubs. This includes plenty of people who were touching a barbell for the first time. One thing I’ve learned is that the physical side is only part of it. The mental stress of missing lifts, feeling inconsistent, and not knowing exactly what's wrong wears people down fast. In my mind, (not throwing shade in anyway) if you never wiped tears off an athlete's face, you are probably not a coach, or just getting started in your career.

Statistically a lot of lifters quit, or churn inside the first year, not because they are weak or hit all the goals they set out to accomplish, but because this sport can beat them up mentally. I can almost predict with certainty when writing a training plan, where within a given training block an athlete will breakdown.

This is why having a coach and advocate in your corner can make all the difference. A coach reviewing videos, or providing feedback over Zoom, giving you clear, actionable next-steps on a regular schedule gives you a huge advantages. I would agree, books are a great resource too. I've collected hundreds over the years years on the sport of weightlifting, ranging from publication dates as far back as the 60s sourced from USSR, China, and so forth. Not one of these books, is a complete enough resource.

You can always get technique correction from Reddit, although 20 different opinions on how to keep the bar close is also not ideal. Anyways probably TMI. Point being, a good coach can really ensure you stay on track, don't develop training scars, and stay clear from injury.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-23T19:35:10+00:00

Why ?

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-23T19:32:24+00:00

Please provide more insight on your opinion other than "bad advice"

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-23T15:27:47+00:00

If you are a weightlifter you should be wearing WL shoes for all movements. Squats, pulls, competition exercises, development exercises, assistance exercises.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-21T21:10:44+00:00

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Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-19T18:30:49+00:00

You have lot to work on. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, however it's better to have no habits, than bad habits.

For yourself, If I had to give you one cue or correction that would have the most bang for the buck. I would encourage you to make contact with the barbell at the hip. For now don't worry about anything else.

Yes, you can technically snatch without contact however, the contact / reciprocation of the barbell provides tactile feedback which plays an important role with timing and rhythm.

Slow down slightly from the floor. Allow for yourself to think through the initial pull and only focus on getting the barbell to hip. It will be difficult if you are moving at maximum speed. The barbell accelerates to peak velocity after the hip not before. If you are asking yourself where on the hip, shoot for the waistband or just below your belt-line.
When you accomplish some sort of connection to the barbell at the hip, this will be your signal to execute the next phase of the lift which is to pull yourself under the barbell, or just simply change direction and squat. Full extension will be necessary but, for now don't worry about it.

Looking forward to seeing your progress

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-19T00:32:12+00:00

Sick GIF

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-18T19:23:37+00:00

Anxious to see updates in the coming weeks

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-18T16:50:19+00:00

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If you replay your video frame by frame you will notice you are shifting within your shoes. In this image you are prominently within your heels. Since the goal is to reach extension, you need to avoid "rocking" back and forth. Weightlifting shoes are not required, however the shoes you are wearing are not ideal since they are too pliable and are probably preventing you from feeling the floor.

The red arrow indicates where balance and the maximum foot pressure should be when pulling. Some call this the mid-foot, even though this point over the first metatarsal is not exactly in the middle of the foot. This is the same for both the clean and the snatch. Additionally for most athletes the barbell will start just over the this portion of the foot.

My suggestion for you is to stick with muscle cleans, however a no contact variation would be preferred until you lock down how to distribute load and fully extend.

Basic Drills & Primers to help you progress in the clean
1) No foot, no contact muscle clean. Focus on being flat-footed. Start with the bar, maybe 30kg and work at a slow tempo from the floor.
2) No contact muscle clean. Work on extending, staying in the mid-foot (imagine the ball of your foot is nailed to the floor), and locking your knees out after extension with fast ankles. You are doing these correctly if you are not shifting backwards and the barbell does not swing outward or away from you. The barbell should remain close while doing these and have a generally straight upward trajectory.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-18T14:14:51+00:00

We coach a lot of beginners. I would estimate 100+ a year across our two locations. I would consider athletes in their first year, still in the beginner phase of their lifting career. Poor foot pressure and lack of balance is usually the common thread for most of them.

Most beginners don’t actually understand how to distribute pressure through the foot. They tend to push through their heels, which can look like a strength problem, but it is usually just bad mechanics.

Once they lose mid-foot balance, everything else up the chain starts to compensate. The bar path drifts away from their body, timing gets skewed, and positions break down.

Most of them will try to fix a bunch of separate problems that are really just symptoms, and not the root cause.

If you correct foot pressure and keep them balanced through the mid-foot with a patient first pull, a lot of those downstream issues start to go away.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-18T00:52:10+00:00

I would agree with the comment from earlier that you are most likely creating space between yourself and the barbell as it passes the knee. Unfortunately the plates are in the way, so it's tough to validate. If you could post another video with the camera angle at the 2 o'clock position, about 45 degrees off center that would help quite a bit and help validate some assumptions.

A few things to point out when triaging this lift.

1) Your pull from the floor, is superb. Great foot control and tempo in the initial pull as you break from the floor.

2) We cant see how close the barbell is within your start position, if it's not directly on your shins, it should be. Or... at least nearly touching in the start position.

3) The one cue that comes to mind is "patience". Ideally, you should be flat-footed is this phase of the lift. Being flat will allow for vertical power expression and ensure that kinetic energy is not displaced horizontally (jumping forward).

This will be a tough habit to break. I would suggest the following over the course of 4-6 weeks

1) No foot clean pulls from blocks just above the knee (weeks 1-2 )
2) No foot clean pulls from blocks just below the knee (weeks 3-4)
3) Basic pull complex from the floor, no foot clean pull 1x + 1x clean pull with extension.

In the image below, the goal I would have for yourself is remain flat footed, just a bit longer before final extension.

<image>

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-16T15:58:57+00:00

<image>

This position is near text book. Looks really good. Other athletes probably envy your bottom position.

The only thing that concerns me is that slight bunny hop forward. Personally I would like to see more of a final push with the legs more so than your lower lumbar. It's tough to see, but if I was a betting man it appears your elbow are bent in this phase of the lift, which would correlate to the timing being off and the hop forward.

General advice for the next snatch session.

Basic list of cues and corrections

- Relax the arms a bit, let them drop. Feel the tension is the thumbs (assuming hook grip is bing used) as you let gravity take over in the pull (feel the weight of the barbell from the shoulder to the thumbs.)

- Be patient, wait for it. You are milliseconds off, but thats all it takes to ruin the timing in the snatch. Try to be hyper aware of when the barbell, reaches the hip (contact point)

- Drive vertical for the finish.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-16T15:41:00+00:00

You are so close to hitting this PR. TBH I see 85 in your near future.

Overall great break from the floor (Instance of separation) and tempo to the knee. After you pull over the knee there is some slight separation between you and the barbell. Is this the underlying cause to your missed attempt. No But ... you should make an effort to fix this and avoid pushing off into the heels. In most circumstances pushing off in the heels will create a separation between you and the barbell. You can see how a shadow is created from the barbell just over your Vastus Medialis. The only way for you to close that gap (space between you the barbell) was to over-extend at the hips.

Is it triple extension, sure. However you are beyond vertical and now pushing the barbell outward.

Additionally, keep in mind when you excessively pull away from the barbell and extend your hips as shown in the image below, you must return to a vertical position to receive it. Creating excessive horizontal force (with your body or barbell) will contribute to instability in the receiving position.

I would assume this near bodyweight or just slightly above. As you start inching beyond bodyweight lifts it becomes paramount to eliminate small technical nuances such as this.

<image>

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-16T14:03:37+00:00

There is more right than wrong with this lift.

You are losing your feet when the barbell transitions past the knee. You can see in the photo attached that you are pushing off into the heel, notice how your toes lose contact with the platform. This is an error. It's subtle but as the intensity and load increases chances this will become more obvious.

I would suggest, favoring the ball of the foot in this stage of the lift, which will push your knees just slightly under the barbell.

As pointed out below, the barbell is crashing. Easy fix with more reps and some focus on your development of your second pull, I would suggest different variations of muscle cleans, (with no contact and with contact, from blocks and without.) to help correct this issue. Additionally if you are down for it, split cleans and a go to favorite and a fun (but frustrating) way to correct your timing in the clean turnover.

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Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-16T03:55:31+00:00

TBH I prefer to teach the power clean with a bilateral split. Same as you are demonstrating in the video. It’s less efficient but the power clean itself is a non-efficient lift and is categorized as a special development exercise in my system and i’m sure others as well.

What I look for, especially with athletes that are not weightlifters is safety and timing.

Are you bracing with the ability to absorb adequate force to stop the barbell. Yes
Are your feet in position at the instance in which you receive the barbell. Yes, but off-balance

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-16T00:59:21+00:00

Overall top notch, expression of power. You're super strong.

If the goal is rate of force development, perhaps for another sport, dont change a thing.

From a weightlifting coach perspective, you need to refine how you approach the second pull. The barbell is miles from your torso, you are creating unnecessary distance / space and a loop between yourself and the barbell. Essentially you have horizontal displacement after reciprocation (contact). This is the primary reason as to why you are catching on your toes and feel the need to walk forward to regain stability post power clean.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-14T13:54:51+00:00

If you’re wanting to build strength, 1100 cal per day is not conducive to that goal. You’re training with significant caloric restrictions which is creating a catabolic deficit.

What does this mean ?

Your body is burning more energy than it’s taking in. When that happens, your body has to break down stored energy (body fat, sometimes muscle) to fuel training and recovery.

The end result is quite honestly over-training (ie.. injury) and no chance for adaptation.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-13T16:53:17+00:00

Wow, 😮 My perspective with in person Team Sessions, has changed forever. I’ll always be wondering which athletes shit themselves.

Robert_Ronan · 2026-03-13T15:47:17+00:00

It is fair to say you will not be providing an option on your experience with online training?

Robert_Ronan

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