Dr Mel Siff Blog

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Here is some discussion that I have been having on the IWF list with the
well-known Denis Reno, long-time producer of Denis Reno’s Weightlifting
Newsletter regarding my weightlifting pull letter.

Denis Reno writes:

<< Dr. Mel — Here is my 10 second answer. I have been coaching over 30
years, writing about it for almost as long, and am a usaw International
coach. Top lifters work very hard to get the bar to their crotch while
keeping their shoulders above or in front of the bar. Then they work hard
and fast to get their hips under the bar on the pull/screw under. They don’t
worry during that max lift about the details. However, solid foot
contact makes a lot of sense from very many perspectives! And I hope that
their coaches drill them in proper technique (which I guess is very similar
for most competant coaches). I’ve never heard a coach tell a lifter to get
to their toes early in the pull (before it gets to their crotch) but I’ve
seen those heels raise off of the platform in a
number of record lifts by world caliber lifters before the bar was above the
hips. >>

*** I am very familiar with your well-known Newsletter and am very pleased
that you responded to this question, something that very few top coaches and
lifters have done.

My original letter was not referring to the obviously unwise premature rising
to the toes, but the fact that many lifters do rise to the toes during the
last stages of the pull before the drop and thrust under the bar. Solid foot
contact is indeed sensible for most of the lift right until the final stage
directly preceding the thrust under the bar — I certainly was not suggesting
some sort of “calf raising” during the earlier stages of pulling. I have
raised this topic again because many new lifters and coaches are becoming
thoroughly confused about the apparently contradictory views about the pull.
And all the responses that I have received so far have been based entirely
upon opinion and empirical observation, not on actual biomechanical studies.

Some have even expressed annoyance and frustration that I cannot grasp the
“obvious”, because “all top lifters today use the flatfooted style” (which a
videographic analysis shows to be patently untrue). Well, as a scientist who
enjoys Weightlifting, I cannot simply accept the obvious or the opinions
without something a little more substantial to answer all the questions that
arise. So far, I lean more towards the view that one needs to simply produce
a well timed very powerful pull following a suitable trajectory, without
stressing either flat feet or heel raising — so that the body will
reflexively and naturally produce the appropriate ankle action as part of the
whole linked kinematic system.

So, in short, has ANYONE out there seen any studies on the different styles
of ankle action pulling? There have been many studies of weightlifting
technique up to the stage when some coaches started proclaiming that one
should not allow the heels to rise during any stage of the pull. Some
coaches have remarked that the foot tends to supinate and rise to the toes
only to allow the lifter to shift the feet a little outwards for the squat
under, but not to actually raise the body or bar any higher. Any comments
on that point of view?

Denis, if you or anyone else would care to join this discussion on my
Supertraining forum, where many lifters and coaches have already offered
their opinions, it would be a pleasure to have you there. Your views are
most important to us. Our home page is at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/

Dr Mel Siff
Denver, USA

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