Getting set up

The setup position determines much about the path of the bar and the power the athlete can transmit to it during the lift. Too-low hips in the setup—for the snatch, the clean, and the deadlift—are a common problem for many novice and intermediate athletes.

In the photo on the left, the back is rounded, the hips are too low, and the shoulders are nearly behind the bar, leaving the lifter in a mechanically and physiologically disadvantaged position.

For this particular athlete, widening his stance and toeing out slightly more than usual puts him in a position where he can flatten his back and lift his chest properly. This puts his shoulder blades over the bar, as they should be. The higher hips allow him to keep the bar in close to his body, clear his knees cleanly without looping out around them, and execute a powerful, controlled pull. Even without all these specific details, you can just see how much more athletic and powerful he looks in a better setup position.

Same athlete, different planet.