Dr Mel Siff Blog

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All too often the deadlift and clean pull are regarded as much the same
exercise, with the consequence that those who teach one or the other often
offer inappropriate advice. Thus clean pull is regarded as some sort of
deadlift with a shrug, while the deadlift is regarded as a clean pull without
a shrug and done with an alternate hand grip. This constitutes a serious
oversimplification of the mechanics of the two lifts.

Our recent discussion of the mechanics of the weightlifting pull is directly
relevant in this regard, because the flatfooted pulling style would appear to
be much more similar to the deadlift pull. In deadlifting it is always
inappropriate to allow the load to shift towards the balls of the feet or for
the lifter ever to rise onto the balls of the feet. This will rapidly result
in the load tilting you forwards, rounding the lower back and losing the
lift. It is also important to point out that any use of a “double knee-bend”
manoeuvre as in weightlifting would result in instant failure of the lift by
the referees, because it is against the rules to flex and extend the knees
again once the bar has left the platform.

In weightlifting the shoulders usually stay ahead of the bar until the
shoulder shrug can be optimally used after the bar has passed the knees
during the first stage of the pull; in powerlifting, the shoulders need to be
kept far more back, because this ensures that the line of action of the
center of mass of the lifter-bar system passes over the heels.

Besides the use of the alternate hand grip (one palm away from the body or
supinated, the other towards the body or pronated) in the powerlifting
deadlift, there are several other differences between the powerlifting
deadlift and the weightlifting pull in addition to the few that I have
identified above — would anyone else like to add to the list of differences?

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

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