If you can front squat it for 3 reps...
There are very few ‘facts’ in weightlifting that apply across the board. Individual differences can be huge for a variety of reasons; age, time in the sport, sporting history, injury history, genetics, lifestyle and diet to name a few. Even at the top level we see variation in technique, training programmes and approaches.
There are though, some persistent ‘phrases’ you’ll hear if you spend time in a weightlifting gym. My favourites are:
“Well if you can front squat it for 3 reps you can definitely clean it”
“That looked easy'“
“I back squat (insert weight), so i should be able to snatch/clean (insert weight)”
“It feels so light when I’m just doing a pull…”
How much stock can you put in these things?
If you can front squat a weight for 3 reps… you have ONE piece of the puzzle to making that clean.
What this shows is that you have the leg strength and likely the positional strength to stand up that weight in a clean. However, what it doesn’t tell you is iF YOU HAVE THE TECHNIQUE to get it to the rack position without crashing, losing it forwards or simply not have enough velocity on the bar from the pull.
You will still need some clean practice to know if the rest of the puzzle can be achieved.
That looked easy… usually is true. It looked easy to the spectator. Unless your coach or an experienced lifter is saying it, it probably doesn’t ring true. Was it correct? Or was it well timed? Or maybe it was just easier than the previous lift. The context matters.
Something can look easy or light for someone but still be a bad lift. Easy isn’t synonymous with good. It doesn’t always mean you should go up in weight which is really what’s being implied.
I can squat X so I can snatch Y… as i talked about in my post on efficiency metrics (here) there are a few commonly accepted relationships between lifts. The caveat is that technique has to be well established for any of the metrics to be useful. I know a guy who can squat 200kg but can only snatch 60kg, far from the efficiency ratio of 60-63%.
Only once he has achieved the technical ability to full snatch comfortably, will he be able to work his way up to the expected 126kg or thereabouts. His leg strength does not tell you anything about his overhead stability, his speed or timing. Again, leg strength, whilst very important, is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.
It feels so light when I’m just doing a pull… this is pretty common. As a coach it can be pretty frustrating to see a lifter pull a bar to their sternum and still miss a lift. There are a few different reasons someone may not make a lift even if the weight is light for them:
Bar path - if the bar is too far forwards after the hip/thigh contact most lifters will instinctively avoid pulling under. Your brain knows more than you.
Timing - if a lifter doesn’t have the feel for terminal velocity or peak bar height they may hesitate and miss the moment to pull under the bar. Rarely, over cueing the extension can cause a delay in getting under but it does happen. More common is a lack of practice at that weight or just below it.
Confidence - sometimes lifters are just scared of the heavier weights. Whether fear or overthinking, any hesitation at the top of the pull can mean they miss the lift. Sometimes confidence or lack thereof makes a lifter do things they don’t ordinarily do - like pull with the arms or rush onto the toes.
Pulls are great for both technical and strength development but our aim is always to work towards snatching or cleaning whatever we can pull.
How many of these have you heard or been told? Did I miss any?