Rey Asks: Is scraping the shins during lifts natural or is it considered poor technique?

Greg Says: Both in a sense. It’s natural and common for the bar to scrape the shins on the way up in the snatch and clean, but this is a problem, not an indication of good technique. Ideally we want the bar to remain as close to the legs as possible without actually contacting until much higher up—usually around the upper thigh to the hips. Generally I would say some light contact is preferable over any considerable distance between the bar and body, but contact that actually creates “scraping” is just dragging the bar, which of course slows it down, but also will usually cause the bar to move away from the body in reaction to the feeling.

It’s important to refine the technique of the first pull to ensure that your weight is balanced properly, your shoulders are above the bar (getting them behind the bar by opening the hips too soon will cause the bar to scrape), the bar is as close to the body as possible on the way up, and your knees, the bar and shoulders are moving backward properly as you separate the bar from the floor. You don’t need to push the knees back excessively to get them out of the way, but the knees do need to move backward in the course of standing.

Emily Asks: Hey Greg and Aimee, I am a 32-year-old woman 133lbs who is fairly strong (in comparison to others at my gym) and is not afraid of muscle. I know when men want to make strength gains, they eat a lot more calories, i.e. protein and fat and some carbs. I can’t eat 5000 cals a day. I know it’s a lot easier for women to gain weight, but I want to eat optimally for better performance and to gain strength. This is more important to me than trying to lean out, though I wouldn't really want to get fat either. Anywho, are there any links you can recommend or advice you have for a chick who is trying to do heavier lifting and needs a general idea on how to eat? I do eat paleo and it has helped for sure, but I think it can be tweaked to do more for me. I don’t count calories or weigh and measure, but I imagine I probably don’t get 1g protein - 1lb BW. Is this the ticket? More sweet potatoes? Protein powders? Any advice would be appreciated and thanks so much for all that you do.

Greg Says: Definitely try increasing your protein intake to about 1 g per pound of bodyweight per day as a starting point. Get it from quality animal sources like meat, fish and eggs as much as possible. Supplement if needed, but don’t count protein from nuts/seeds or other non-animal sources.

Experiment as well with the amount, type and timing of your carbs. You may find, for example, that sticking with just vegetables throughout the day and placing the bulk of your carbs post workout helps you without getting you chubby. In my experience, there is so much individual variation regarding response to carb amounts, types and timing that I’m reluctant to say much beyond: experiment.

Also keep in mind that you don’t need to gain weight to get stronger. You can make a great deal of strength gains through neurological improvements rather than simply adding more muscle mass. Generally you’ll be able to achieve this with lower-rep training and more speed-oriented lifting. The goal for your diet should be to keep you fueled for the activity in which you’re engaging, not to add mass, unless that’s your goal specifically.

Jim Asks: First let me say thank you. I have been following your site off and on for quite some time and I have you book Greg (A Complete Guide). Anyway I have a question… I have a tricky lower back… I can usually do relatively heavy cleans and even the snatch but every time I squat heavy or deadlift my back is hurt for several days and not the good hurt. It’s enough to have to stop everything for a week sometimes months. Any suggestions? Everywhere I look it says you have to do SQUATS and DEADLIFTS! And I want too but they always injure me. I can go ass to grass without my heels leaving the floor so I usually do… could that be the issue? I have seen somewhere they were talking about some people unknowingly tuck their low back in the very bottom position. I don’t feel like I do that but I’ve never videoed myself. Any and all suggestions appreciated and accepted.

Greg Says: If squats and deadlifts hurt your back, there is unquestionably a problem somewhere. Unfortunately, based only on the information you provided, I don’t know what it is. Definitely check your posture—a weak lower back position in those lifts can certainly light up your back. Also look at the mechanics—for example, in the squat, are you bouncing excessively, or in the deadlift are you yanking the bar off the floor?

As you’re figuring out those things, I would suggest at least temporarily reducing the weight and volume of squats and deadlifts. You may even want to drop deadlifts altogether for now if you’re still squatting, snatching and cleaning and doing some accessory back work. Keep your squat reps to 1-3 and avoid weights that force you to grind through the movement—make all your reps smooth and controlled. Focus on maintaining constant tension in the trunk and legs. See how your back responds to this before doing something drastic like never squatting again.

Also increase the amount of ab and lower back work you’re doing. I’m a big fan of unweighted back extensions for many reps and sets—I feel like this helps condition the lower back very well and makes it quite a bit more resilient. You can also do more loaded back/posterior chain work like good mornings and stiff-legged deadlifts, assuming those don’t bother your back like squats and deadlifts.

And finally, I would suggest working with some kind of manual therapist who has experience with athletes—if they don’t have a good understanding of the movements you’re doing, they probably won’t be able to help you much.