Dr Mel Siff Blog

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Here is some continued discussion from the IWF list on the weightlifting
pulling questions which I posed recently:

One Supertraining Member contributed the following:

<< After reviewing many videos and digitizing many others it appears that
many of the best technicians in the pull (e.g. Petrov) pull flat footed as
long as possible until they begin the transition pull from the knee to the
high chest position. At that point they seem to shift to the balls of their
feet before they go into the final extension of the pull.>

Mel Siff:

*** But that is exactly what was taught in Weightlifting several decades ago
and is not the much vaunted “flatfooted” style whose merits are so widely
extolled nowadays. Way back then some lifters displayed a high heel raise,
others less, as appears to be the case with most lifters today. There does
not seem to be anything novel, original or revolutionary about that. Nobody
back then ever advised pulling with early plantarflexion, especially because
this can easily result in pulling off the obviously unstable and
biomechanically inefficient on the balls of the feet base. The delayed
plantarflexing action is similar to the situation which occurs when one is
jumping, a process which is necessary to allow gastrocnemius to optimally
contribute to the knee, hip and trunk extension action. If you try to jump
with minimal plantarflexion you will produce less take-off force.

Thus, it appears that some degree of optimally-timed plantarflexion is
necessary if one wishes to rely on this muscle to enhance its tension and
augment the vertical force generated by knee, hip and trunk extension. If
one remains flatfooted throughout, then any activity of gastrocnemius would
appear to be aimed primarily at flexion of the knee (ostensibly for the
“double knee-bend” action).

<Ideally, if would be best if they could maintain a flat foot posture during
the transition but when you get 200 + Kg on the bar this become increasingly
difficult as the lever arm from the rotation point of the hip to the weight
arm is at its greatest. Look at Petrov’s clean pulls at the 1996 Olympics;
as his attempts become heavier, he shifts more to the balls of the foot at the
end of the transition and before the final extension.>>

Mel Siff:

***Why would this be “ideal”, i.e., biomechanically optimal in the light of
the analysis that I have discussed above? So far, those who are advising the
“flatfooted” pull are rather emphatic about the heels not leaving the
platform AT ALL. I still remain curious about the biomechanics behind the
alleged universal advantage of this for all lifters. Are there any
biomechanical research studies which have shown that the flatfooted pull is
significantly more efficient and more effective than the more traditional
pulling style or does the issue still depend largely on empirical experience?
If I am to coach in a particular style, I prefer to rely on a combination of
art and science and not simply on art and opinion. All that I am requesting
is to see the scientific evidence to guide coaches in a far more logical and
solid direction.

Petrov’s method seems to be pretty much the same as what was used traditionally
many
years ago – he used a degree and timing of plantarflexion which suited him. It
certainly
is not “flatfooted” throughout the pull.

Any more comments? Better still – any relevant references?

Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/

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Tags: Double Knee Bend, Dr Mel Siff, Flexion, Gastrocnemius, High Heel, Lifters, Mel Siff, olympic lifting, Plantarflexion, Posture, Super Training, Supertraining, Tension, Transition, Vertical Force, Weight Lifting, Weightlifting