The Finish
You Drive Your Hips Forward Instead of Up
The fault
Pushing the pelvis horizontally into the bar rather than extending vertically.
Why it happens
A forward hip drive sends the bar out on an arc. A vertical finish sends it up. The difference is easy to see on video and almost impossible to feel in the moment, which is why it persists.
The fix
Jump out, then jump up, back to back, so you can feel the difference in your own body. Then take that vertical feeling straight into a clean.
About this fix
Originally published as "How to Use Your Hips" on 4 January 2016, part of The Lifting Fix, a free weekly weightlifting technique series Danny Lehr ran from June 2015 to December 2016. Every episode is free here and always will be. For the full structured course, see the professionally filmed program.
