Over the last decade, we have all noticed the recent explosion in weightlifting popularity. From meet attendance to Instagram followers, we all see the numbers growing, and that is a good thing! In my opinion, a big thank you should be given to the CrossFit community to shining some light on this sport we love. Seemingly overnight, the same folks who would confuse weightlifting with powerlifting, are now asking if you saw the latest CJ Cummings post!

Personally speaking, I have seen my team grow tremendously through CrossFit members. Currently, almost every single one of my lifters has come from the CrossFit side of the gym. Mostly, they joined us for a short cycle to hone some technique with full intentions on using their newly acquired skills to become more efficient in their WODs. Funny thing is, not all of them go back to CrossFit!

Years back when I started my first USAW club, we very quickly realized we had a large contingent of folks who wanted more than a once-a-week technique class. We added a three day a week option to fill the void. This allowed those folks to lift with us every week while adding one to two days of CrossFit into their weekly regiment. Their three-day program catered specifically to technique acquisition and kept the weights lighter in order not to bury them from central nervous system fatigue.

Converting CrossFitters into weightlifters was becoming a common occurrence and was giving me access to athletes with above average kinesthetic awareness and strength bases. While going through the process of shifting their focus singularly to weightlifting, it did not take long for me to notice some of the same technique flaws in most folks from the CrossFit side of the gym. Even though everyone moves a little different and has unique mobility, I find that we come back to the following drills to fix a handful of similar flaws.

To start with, first pull problems manifest themselves in a few ways. For beginner lifters who want to rip the bar off the floor (thus losing proper posture and back tension), we have found that clean and snatch pulling to the knee with a specific tempo to has a great track record to fix the problem. These tempo pulls allow the athletes to feel the lift and helps them understand how to use their legs versus their backs. I will often prescribe them in big sets, maybe four or more pulls. Sometimes I’ll even add them into a complex of tempo pull + tempo pull + clean/snatch to increase the time under tension.

The other first pull problem we commonly see is the early arm bend. I understand the trepidation that some coaches have with the cue “JUMP,” but I have found an easy drill that has worked for a myriad of CrossFitters turned weightlifters. I simply have the lifter lower their empty bar to the hang position and have them jump maximally with straight arms while keeping the barbell close to their body. They will do two to three sets of five to six jumps, often before they warm up the traditional lift. I have found that by exaggerating the leg drive of the jump, it allows the lifter to focus on using the legs to elevate the bar rather than high pulling with just arms. If you’re wondering if I have ever had an athlete try to mimic this exaggerated hip extension while trying to clean/snatch, the answer is no.

As we move to the second pull, by far the most common flaw we see is a rush to open the hip. My gut tells me that given the relatively lighter weights an athlete will see in a WOD versus an average weightlifting training day, the athlete can get away with this during a WOD, while simultaneously zapping their capabilities when trying to do this with 85 percent or more. I will often video the lifter to show them how the high-hang position being missed and then will show them an example of how long they need to stay over the bar. Typically, the response is “I have no power there” or they seem perplexed about their ability to do so.

I like to use Pulls with a pause at mid-thigh while putting emphasis on keeping the shoulders over the bar. I will add a pause at the ideal position for the athlete or will have them continue up to the pocket, depending on their specific timing deficiency. In the picture below, I have worked with this athlete to stay over the bar longer as she tended to open the hip too prematurely. (To view images, download the PDF)
 
The second variation of this flaw is often from rushing the hips forward, bumping the bar out, and making the lifter very toe-heavy. In general, I’ve had success with similar pulls with pause at mid-thigh in order to teach them patience. However, I do like to change the variation by then allowing them to stand fully, then performing a hang clean/snatch from the same mid-thigh position. In the picture below, this athletes’ typical miss was very out front, and you can clearly see the toe-heavy position while he should be balanced over the whole foot. We use these exact pulls to focus on his patience and balance. (To view images, download the PDF)
 
Lastly, the other two common challenges tend to be mental rather than physical. The mental grind of Olympic weightlifting is vastly different from the daily variation and constantly moving nature of an average CrossFit class. The willingness for an athlete to have patience over a 12-week cycle can be a new challenge. The satiety of feeling accomplished after a 60-minute class is a far cry from working on technique for months without a single PR. For some, it is a hard lesson to learn. For others, they welcome the challenge.
 
The last “problem” is a good problem to have. I often need to assure these CrossFitters turned Weightlifters that they are stronger than they think, especially my female athletes. In my opinion, CrossFit has done wonders for the average person, such as bringing a massive dose of fitness and strength to our general population, among other things. As I mentioned earlier, weights in WODs tend to be lighter in nature versus a traditional training day in the Weightlifting world. Thus, some athletes get used to those common numbers and underestimate their own strength. One of the best parts of my job is seeing folks push through the mental barrier of what they used to consider heavy and having them shatter their own expectations. Those days are some of my favorite days in the gym.