Log Clean and Press Form Check

Could not figure out how to upload a video here so uploaded to youtube.

First video is 75kg, my best lift so far. Main concern is the clean. Lock out was a struggle.

Second video is 70kg for three, done afterwards. First clean is total shit I think.

Third video is 65kg during warmup.

Any help and suggestions are more than welcome!

EDIT: This was last weeks log training, right now I am a little sick so I can’t train but I will be happy to use any advice next week.

With regard to the clean: in the second video, you should be executing the clean with the position your body was in at 4 seconds. It might seem awkward, but take a good look at what you do briefly after the 4 second mark. You hunch forward and drop your elbows into a bicep-curl manner. This not only brings the log lower on your torso, but uses the weakest muscles to hoist it up to your chest.

An easy fix would be to force yourself to maintain the exact position of 4 seconds, but instead of leaning forward, maintain the high elbow position, and SHRUG as HARD as you possibly can while hugging the log to your chest and simply standing up. Makes the clean comparably effortless to what you have going for you now. It will take some practice, but I know it will help because it worked for me.

[quote]strongmanvinny wrote:
With regard to the clean: in the second video, you should be executing the clean with the position your body was in at 4 seconds. It might seem awkward, but take a good look at what you do briefly after the 4 second mark. You hunch forward and drop your elbows into a bicep-curl manner. This not only brings the log lower on your torso, but uses the weakest muscles to hoist it up to your chest.

An easy fix would be to force yourself to maintain the exact position of 4 seconds, but instead of leaning forward, maintain the high elbow position, and SHRUG as HARD as you possibly can while hugging the log to your chest and simply standing up. Makes the clean comparably effortless to what you have going for you now. It will take some practice, but I know it will help because it worked for me. [/quote]

I will try that the next time. Any suggestions on how the clean shold feel or what muscles I should use or what movement comes close to the clean? My current clean form feels like a mix of a hip thrust, a front squat an a barbell hang clean. EVen though it does look like a bicep curl I actually don’t feel my biceps doing anything. Just asking so I can understand better what you mean. Anything other than that I should look for? Spinal position, press form?

[quote]Koestrizer wrote:

[quote]strongmanvinny wrote:
With regard to the clean: in the second video, you should be executing the clean with the position your body was in at 4 seconds. It might seem awkward, but take a good look at what you do briefly after the 4 second mark. You hunch forward and drop your elbows into a bicep-curl manner. This not only brings the log lower on your torso, but uses the weakest muscles to hoist it up to your chest.

An easy fix would be to force yourself to maintain the exact position of 4 seconds, but instead of leaning forward, maintain the high elbow position, and SHRUG as HARD as you possibly can while hugging the log to your chest and simply standing up. Makes the clean comparably effortless to what you have going for you now. It will take some practice, but I know it will help because it worked for me. [/quote]

I will try that the next time. Any suggestions on how the clean shold feel or what muscles I should use or what movement comes close to the clean? My current clean form feels like a mix of a hip thrust, a front squat an a barbell hang clean. EVen though it does look like a bicep curl I actually don’t feel my biceps doing anything. Just asking so I can understand better what you mean. Anything other than that I should look for? Spinal position, press form?[/quote]

The idea is to keep the log as close to your center of mass as possible. While you might get by with your method now, once the log starts to get heavy, you won’t be able to hip thrust it up. Well…you might, but it’s going to exhume a lot of energy and it definitely will not be the most conducive for getting a good rack position for the press. The most important and vital cue I’ve found it to shrug as hard as you can while the log is in your lap and on the way up. Mind you, you must keep your elbows up high for this. It’s really just a squat and a very hard static shrug. Don’t sweat not being able to catch on btw, it’s easier to actually learn this technique with heavier weights.

Oh, and for what it is worth, don’t row the log. I almost tore a trap doing this after very heavy farmers walks. I like to deadlift the log to my thighs, get in a half squat position and “pull” the log into my torso while “rolling” it up my chest. The momentum from my legs is what drives it upwards and pulling it towards you makes it easy to roll. My other thread has a link to a facebook page with a video of me and a few other guys at our gym doing log presses. When I finished my set two people complemented my form, so it must be good.

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
Oh, and for what it is worth, don’t row the log. I almost tore a trap doing this after very heavy farmers walks. I like to deadlift the log to my thighs, get in a half squat position and “pull” the log into my torso while “rolling” it up my chest. The momentum from my legs is what drives it upwards and pulling it towards you makes it easy to roll. My other thread has a link to a facebook page with a video of me and a few other guys at our gym doing log presses. When I finished my set two people complemented my form, so it must be good. [/quote]

Thanks for the tip, didn’t think that is a problem I just tried to save energy. I squat so deep because I try to get the log up to my chest (like Vinny mentioned I then actually don’t use this to clean the log) because I am pretty tall I think a half squat wouldn’t do the trick. Since you mentioned momentum from your legs… is it normal to feel the exhaustion in your quads when doing high reps? I dit 50kg for 11 reps in like 1:10 minutes and my quads were on fire!

I can’t tell you a lot about the clean but since you’re following alan thrall here is something about the press I picked up from him which helped me: try to drop your hip by shoving your knees out insead of pushing them forward for the dip. You mentioned in another thread that you had trouble stabilising weight overhead. The hip drop will give you a more straight bar path and you will have to counter and stop less horizontal movement of the log. Also the power transfer is more efficent.