Bar Path
The Bar Gets Away From You in the Third Pull
The fault
Losing contact with the bar as you go under it.
Why it happens
The third pull is where most lifters stop pulling and start hoping. If the bar drifts even a few inches from the body on the way under, you are catching a weight that is already in front of your base.
The fix
High pulls, done correctly. The value only shows up if you keep the bar in tight through the top rather than letting the elbows swing wide, which is what most people actually do with them.
About this fix
Originally published as "Keep it Close...Or Else!" on 17 October 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.
