While coaching, I noticed one recurring theme with beginners trying to learn both the snatch and the clean. Beginners often have trouble with the 2nd pull, that is actively and explosively pulling the bar up and into the hips by using the upper back muscles, specifically the Latissimus dorsi muscles. Pulling the bar up along the thighs and into the hips serves two main purposes:
1) It keeps the bar close to your body. The barbell's goal in life is to pull your body down and forward. You must actively work to pull the bar up and in. Your body is acting as a giant lever. Every inch that the barbell moves away from the body's center of gravity makes the barbell much heavier. Simple physics. So once the barbell clears the knees you MUST start using your lats and pull that bar upwards and inwards.
Keeping the bar close to you also saves your pelvic bone from getting beaten up. That BANG you hear from the barbell and the pain on your pelvis is from that bar being too far away from your body and you compensating by bringing your hips to the bar. It should be the other way around. Bring the bar to your hips and you will only feel a brush.
2) It allows for a more explosive 2nd pull and the correct bar path. The 2nd pull is meant to be explosive and fast. It is perhaps one of the most violent and aggressive movements in any sport. Therefore you have to use the larger and stronger muscles (read: not your arms) to properly execute it. Please understand that just because you are "pulling" doesn't mean you are pulling with your arms. In the 2nd pull you are using your hips and posterior chain muscles (hams, back, and glutes)! Sweeping that bar inward and upward will force your hips to come underneath the bar. This is what weightlifting coaches call the "double knee bend". It is essentially your body coming into a jumping position where you can violently explode (jump) upwards by explosively extending the hips and knees. This is where ALL the power comes from. If you don't actively sweep that bar in most likely you will not double knee bend and will pull early. You will have lost power and the bar will be out in front of you. Loss of power + incorrect bar path = failed attempt. And don't think about the double knee bend. It will only mess you up. Think about sweeping that bar into you. The double knee bend is a natural movement and you will do it automatically but ONLY IF you are actively sweeping that bar in.
This video illustrates clearly what I'm talking about
Notice how all of the lifters keep the barbell right on the thighs during the way up and actively sweep the bar inwards towards the hips. This makes for a very powerful pull which allows them to lift several times their bodyweight overhead.
Gregg Everett of Catalyst Athletics also demonstrates and explains the double knee bend. A bit technical but you can clearly see that his demonstrator keeps the bar right on the thighs and actively pulls the bar into the body causing the hips to come underneath the bar due to the rebending of the knee.
Some take away tips to improve your 2nd pull:
1) Get a nice tight locked back from the get-go. Set and start flexing your lats before you lift the weight off the ground.
2) Keep the bar close to the body by sweeping the bar upward and inward along the thighs and towards the hips.
2) Explode upwards by jumping as hard and as fast as you can.
Happy lifting!
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