You Are Not Actually Tight Before You Pull

Taking a breath and arching the back, then calling it braced.

Why it happens

Getting set is more than a big breath and a tight low back. If the midline, the chest and the lats are not organized together, the torso gives somewhere under load, and whatever gives is where the lift leaks power.

The fix

Build tension in three places before the bar moves: the back, the chest and the midline. Pressurize down into the abdomen rather than just arching, pull the chest up against the bar, and set the lats so the bar is already being held back toward you at the start.