Top Endurance

The athlete begins in a hip-width stance, holding the bar with a closed, pronated grip. He holds the bar in front of the body, touching the thighs. The scapulae are tightly squeezed together. The athlete lowers the bar to just above the knee by pushing the hips back so that the bar slides down the front of the thighs (photo a). He positions the body with the knees slightly bent, the back flat or slightly arched, and the chest up. The shoulders are over or slightly in front of the bar, and the eyes are focused straight ahead or slightly upward.

1. The athlete quickly and explosively performs triple extension in a jumping action while maintaining a flat-back position. The elbows are pointed out, and the athlete keeps the bar as close to the body as possible. He keeps the shoulders over the bar and the elbows extended for as long as possible.

2. When the full triple extension is reached, the athlete rapidly shrugs the shoulders upward with the elbows still fully extended. As the shoulders reach their highest elevation, the athlete flexes the elbows to begin pulling the body under the bar. He continues to pull with the arms high for as long as possible. Because of the explosive nature of this phase, the feet may lose contact with the floor. The torso is erect, and the head is tilted slightly back.

3. After the lower body has fully extended, the athlete pulls the body under the bar and rotates the arms around and under the bar while flexing the hips and knees into a quarter squat (photo b).

4. Once the arms are under the bar, the athlete lifts the elbows so that the upper arms are parallel to the floor. He racks the bar across the front of the clavicles and anterior deltoids. When the athlete catches the bar, the torso is nearly erect, the shoulders are slightly ahead of the buttocks, the head is in a neutral position, and the feet are flat.

5. When balanced, the athlete stands up by fully extending the hips and knees (photo c).