RIGIDITY is the ability to withstand the effects of power (strength + speed) without bending or breaking. It’s essential that weightlifters develop rigidity early in their training. Without it, the amount of power a weightlifter can generate is reduced and the risk of injury increases.
There are several moments throughout the classic lifts when an athlete must give special focus to rigidity. The first, for both the snatch and clean, is during the pull. From the time the bar leaves the ground until it reaches the height of the knees, the back must hold tight and not bend under the pressure. If it bends, then the force generated by the legs will get partially absorbed in the softened back. As a result, the pull will either slow, or, if the back is very bent, the athlete will get injured.
The ability to hold the back tight under pressure is addressed by rigidity-building exercises. The following exercise puts the athlete into the weak position, forcing the weak muscles to work and strengthen.
Pull With a Pause
A good exercise to build the rigidity of a weightlifter’s back is to perform the full pull while holding a long pause at the knees.
The typical application of this exercise is: Snatch pull with 6 second pause at knee: 6 sets of 3. I don’t recommend doing this exercise more than once a week.
The pause should come at the knee because in this position, the angle of the back is at its most horizontal. This means that the back is under the biggest amount of pressure and is most likely to bend or “break” at this point.
A weight should be used that is heavy for the athlete, however, he/she should be able to hold the arched position for every repetition and be able to complete the full pull. Straps should always be used for this exercise.
When the bar is at the knee, the following rules must be met:
- Back must be arched as much as possible
- Face should look forward
- Knees pointed out
- Shins perpendicular to the floor
- Weight in the middle of the foot
It’s very common for weightlifters to find a position during the pause that is easier to hold than the position they should actually be in. Be sure to pause in the correct position. When coaching an athlete for the first rep of the first few sets, I usually have to pull them forward so that they get their balance to the middle of the foot.
The pull-with-a-pause exercise is typically used at the beginning of the Base Phase. It develops the rigidity needed for the athlete to properly perform classic lifts at heavier weights. As the training cycle continues, variations of rigidity-building exercises should be added to the end of workouts for rigidity upkeep.
The exercise that I use most often to upkeep the rigidity in my back is supper setting (alternating from one to the other):
- 30 second plank with a weight.
- 30 second Glute Ham Raise horizontal hold with the same weight.
Rigidity develops relatively quickly, and is a worthwhile investment of time and effort for those who lack it.
Yasha,
I noticed you mentioned it only for snatch pulls.
Would you also recoment this for clean pulls, to get Rigidity in the clean as well?
Thank you again for another great detailed article.
Toli
Hi Toli, Yes, the same thing applies to the clean pull. With the clean variation it’s easier to cheat yourself by shifting the weight to the heels, and moving knees forward, which makes the back more upright. Make sure to arch the back as much as you can while keeping the weight balanced on the front part of the heel and shins perpendicular, as the bar is at the tip of the knee.
good read, thanks
Could this be a good method to try with standing on 0.5k plates as well?
Yeah, pulls should also remain on the midfoot, but if you stand on the plates, the pull should stop before extending the ankles. So this would be more like a deadlift.
buying cialis in australia cheap cialis online overnight shipping generic cialis uk
can i buy viagra over the counter in australia viagra 50mg. viagra boots
You are a very capable individual!
pharmacy coupons mexican pharmacy online pharmacy no prescription
Thank you, I’ve just been looking for info about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
erectile dysfunction causes 24 hr pharmacy drug store near me
cheap viagra online canadian pharmacy professional pharmacy canada online pharmacy
I precisely desired to say thanks again. I’m not certain the things I could possibly have carried out in the absence of the concepts contributed by you about my area of interest. Entirely was a daunting circumstance for me, but coming across a expert avenue you dealt with it forced me to cry for contentment. I’m grateful for the assistance and expect you are aware of a powerful job that you are accomplishing educating many people by way of a site. I am certain you’ve never come across all of us. https://www.olx.pl/oferta/riser-008c-riser-usb3-0-pci-e-pci-1x-16x-6pin-sata-faktura-23-CID99-IDI5yoN.html
If you wish for to improve your knowledge only keep visiting this site and be updated with the most recent news posted here.|
Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Cheers!
you are really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a great job on this topic!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually
something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and
very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Thank you for sharing your info. I really appreciate yourefforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thank you once again.
Howdy! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
I am sure this post has touched all the internet people,
its really really pleasant paragraph on building
up new website.
Wow, awesome weblog structure! How lengthy have you been running a blog for?
you made running a blog glance easy. The whole glance of your website is excellent,
let alone the content material!
Not many writers with proper knowledge of the topics they blog about.
Your style is so unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff
from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this site.
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my
own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get set up?
I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a
pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100% positive.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you.
Hello there, You’ve performed a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and in my view suggest to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.