| It is necessary to use Olympic lifting Bumper plates, and prefered to have a high quality bar with free spinning bearings specifically designed for Olympic lifts. Approach the bar and position your feet slightly inside shoulder width. Place your hands on the bar with a grip that is just outside the width of your hips. Keep your back flat and your shoulders over the bar in the bottom position. Lift the bar off the ground with your legs not your back, until the weight clears your knees. Don't yank the bar off the ground. This will destroy the proper back angle needed to lift safely. This is the first pull phase and it must be done correctly. Any problems here will be magnified and make the other phases of the lift impossible to perform. The second pull phase involves accelerating your hips forward and shrugging your shoulders when the bar reaches the middle to upper portion of your legs. The third phase involves quickly dropping under the bar to catch the weight. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement. Finish this portion of the lift by standing tall with your elbows pointing forward, your hands open and the bar resting on your fingertips and shoulders. Now you are ready for the Front Squat. The most important thing is to keep your elbows facing forward throughout the movement. Your feet should be approximately shoulder width apart. Your toes can be straight ahead or pointed slightly outward. Also, keep your feet flat on the floor during the lift. Lower your body down by sitting your hips back and bending your knees. Try to go low enough so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Exhale and drive the bar up. Remember to keep your elbows facing foward, and to maintain good posture with your head and chest up. Return the bar to floor by rolling the bar off of your shoulders, and allowing the bar to drop to the floor. Take care that the lifting area if free of weights or any other object that the bar could land on or bounce off of. This exercise is great for balance, quads, and getting better accustomed to the catch position of any of the varieties of a clean. |
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