Clean & Jerk/ Shoulder Press/ Deadlifting /Female Weightlifters December 31, 2003
The Lifting Process
The approach phase: This is the most intense sense of concern the athlete might experience. The fear that one’s health might betray him, his will may crumple, or his preparation is inadequate for the upcoming task. The process confronting a heavy lift is a ritual process that involves all previously acquired habits, sense of inner tranquility, and ability to master the entire body in a concerting effort. Muscular strength will tide the mind over these critical moments of decision-making. But individual variation in focusing and optimizing every bit of energy to achieve efficient performance, is well recognized.
Most if not all lifters, start the initial phase by hopping on their toes. This tests the ability of the body to handle this complex function of coordination (hopping on the toes is very complex mechanical skill). Standing on the metatarsal joints, lifting the heels, and pretending to adjust their standing position, they stimulate the lower leg muscles to get prepared for the incoming battle. They relax, shake their arms and shoulder to allow all possible capillaries to nurture the arm hooking muscles. Thus tense lower legs and relaxed upper limbs would reverse the gravitational gradient on the circulation of bodily nutrients. Most if not all lifters, will squat to the bar holding position with a very standardized approach:
| (1) Knees bending |
| (2) lower back lordosis |
| (3) Upper back vertical |
| (4) Neck and head on vertical line with the heels |
| (5) Shoulders falling behind the front of chest cage |
| (6) Well retracted scapulae |
| (7) Arms hanging loose and free with minimal spasm to land vertically on the bar. |
The initial phase: the lifter has to concentrate on hardening a specific chain of muscles to develop a solid transfer unity with the bar. Every subsequent phase in the process of lifting will depend on this early phase. Forming a transfer unity will deliver the bodily forces to the loaded bar without any lax joint or muscle. Any deformation in the lines of forces along the lifter’s joints will hinder the transfer of forces to the bar and direct them to counter productive directions. These counterproductive forces will strain specific joints of the body and may precipitate tear, rupture, dislocation, sublaxation, or fracture.
Equalization phase: This initial phase of hardening is followed by the phase of equalizing the bar weight, without any significant upward translation. In this phase, the six major groups of joints will not experience any rotation: mid-feet joints, ankles, knees, hips, vertebrae, and shoulders. Each of these joint groups will maximize their muscular stability to its fullest without any sensible mobility.
· Now, the entire body weight will be evenly distributed on the heels (80%) and the metatarsal heads (20%). The outstanding features of the human feet will be put to test in the following minutes of lifting. No other animal can demonstrate such ability to balance the entire human body, plus up to three times its weight, plus the added momentum of the high speed lifting. No other animal can balance itself on two feet on a straight line and perform so gracefully and strongly as do weightlifters: (Olympic weightlifters).
· A stable ankle joint means that its entire articulating surface is evenly stresses by the body weight. An unevenly stresses ankle joint is a locked joint that will impede the performance of graceful lifting technique. We must emphasize that the forces of lifting have to originate form the feet and propagate upwards.
· The knee will be stabilized by the massive quadriceps in front, the hamstrings in the back, and the lateral ligaments on the sides. Stable knees will have evenly distributed weight on their articulating condyles. Unevenly loaded knees will impede the technique of motion. Since the knees function as hinge joints.