A couple weeks ago I talked about the need for glute activation in the squat and the necessity for a vertical torso ALWAYS. Just as a reminder, one of the greatest advantages a weightlifter can have is for their torso in the Front Squat, Back Squat, Overhead Squat, Clean, and Snatch to look exactly the same. If I can remain consistent throughout all of these movements then my work in each of these movements will have carry over to every other movement. Bottomline, if my torso in the clean is the same as the snatch then I should never have a problem standing up in the snatch.
All that being said, here is a great aid to help teach the vertical torso. In my previous post I used the Bottom To Bottom Front Squat as a help for the vertical torso. What I have found recently is that many folks attempting to use this exercise to help their torso angle and glute activation allow their hips to shoot backwards. This defeats the purpose. The purpose is to keep the hips underneath you and torso as vertical as possible.
To help fix and remind athletes of their necessity for a perfectly vertical torso I found an aid. I have started using a PVC pipe to prevent athletes from shooting their hips out from underneath them. Here’s a good example. Try re-creating this in some way shape or form.
Developing Power & Strength through the use of the Olympic Lifts.
