Double knee bend

The "double knee bend" is what occurs once the first pull ceases. It is a "repositioning" of the body, which initiates the powerful "explosive" phase in Olympic Weightlifting. It also occurs during a properly executed vertical jump. It is a vital component of proper vertical force production.

Hip Position As It Relates To The "Double Knee Bend"
Starting with the hips too high or raising the hips faster than the shoulders during the first pull, will create a horizontal position of the torso relative to the platform as the bar reaches the knee. A horizontal torso at this stage of the lift causes excessive torque at the hip. The greater the distance between the bar and the hip, the greater the torque. This excessive distance between the hips and the bar decreases the effectiveness of the body's powerful extensor muscles. It also increases the distance the torso must travel in order to get vertical, which forces an elongated and slow "double knee bend." These technical errors cause a significant decrease in bar velocity (rate of change of position of the bar) during the "double knee bend" and should be corrected.

No "Double Knee Bend" At All
There are some that say there shouldn't be any "double knee bend" at all- that one should go from extending the legs in the first pull directly to back extension without a repositioning of the knees. The reason given for this type of pull is "repositioning of the knees decreases the velocity of the bar. While it is true, there will be a slight decrease in velocity due to the repositioning of the hips and knees, it is important to note, the quadriceps will be close to fully contracted at the end of the first pull and can no longer contribute to force production. The "repositioning" allows the lifter to re-utilize the quadriceps once more to produce the necessary upward force at the end of the pull. The slight drop in velocity seen during a properly executed "double knee bend" is an accepted component of efficient Weightlifting technique and does not negatively effect the outcome of the Snatch or Clean.

Here is a brief description of what is actually going on during the "double knee bend."
Once the knees finish extending during the first pull (at a knee angle of approximately 145° in the Snatch and 150° in the Clean) the lifter will extend the torso upward and backward bringing the torso to an angle of approximately 60° relative to the platform, while forming a hip angle of approximately 110° in the Snatch and 115° in the Clean. The knees and hips move forward and down forming a knee angle of approximately 120° for the Snatch and 125° for the Clean. The bar moves up to the middle of the thigh for the Snatch and the lower third of the thigh for the Clean. The weight will shift slightly forward towards the middle of the foot (more so in the Clean), with the shoulders slightly ahead of the bar. This entire action should take 0.1 to 0.2 seconds to complete.

These actions put the lifter in the most effective position for using the powerful hip and leg extensors during the 2nd pull (the explosive phase of the Olympic lifts).

Squat Day

Oh yes its squat day another glorious day of physical pain and mental anguish. When I know that I have squats on my program for the day, which at this stage of my training is just about everyday, I have a rush of emotions. When I first think about getting under a monster barbell I get all fired up but after countless wave sets of snatch and clean and jerks the doubt begins to creep in. The once positive self talk starts to turn negative. My already fatigued legs begin to give out. I look at the bar knowing the numbers I need to hit and wonder if I can do it. I walk up to the bar looking at it bending on the rack. I can feel it bounce as it settles onto my shoulders. My abs and glutes tighten as I begin to take my deep breath in. And then the toughts, can I do it, will I stand up?? Hell yes I will, I will crush this weight and the next one and the one after that. Its only temporary pain. I may fail some reps but failure is only an attempt at becoming as strong as possible. I see the numbers come up and I see them crushed whats next? 550! oh yeah, 600 you bet all in time. I am like a hunter on the prowl hunting and sleighing weights for the fun of it. All of the ice baths, bio freeze, mobility work, and soreness will not hold me back I will attack the squat rack with a furry I wont back down I will ice it, wrap it, and tape it. I want to be strong... Really strong and my day to day quest keeps me alive, keeps me hungry as I stalk through the gym hungry for my next meal.................
What goes through your head when you approach a pr squat, deadlift, Snatch, or Clean and Jerk. Do you attack and savor your meal or run back to the village with the women and children? (sorry Lindsay we all know your one of the strongest in the gym)

GET OUTTA THE HOLE

personally I think watching someone rip under a huge clean and stand right up with it is awesome. Getting out of the hole is something many of you hear us yell at you but what is it about getting out of the hole? Lets face it its hard to catch a massive clean and stand up with it. It makes no sense to me I can easily squat 50-60kg over my max clean so why can I not stand up with it? I work hard on my squatting ability both in the front, back, and overhead squat. I see tons of youtube videos of guys blasting out a 300lb overhead squats and there is no way that they could pull under that for a snatch. same with the front squat and I am guilty of it as well. I think it is best to understand that the amount of force that the weight is coming down at and the speed at which it does is nothing like the control we use in our training lifts. It used to perplex me when I would meet and spend time with some of the best olympic lifting coaches and athletes to find out that they don't overhead squat or deadlift in fact some do not front squat to a large load? The further I emerge myself in this sport it becomes evident that the back squat should be used to develop absolute strength and speed and to a lesser extent the front and overhead squats are training lifts to develop strength but most importantly to develop proper positions under the bar. don't misunderstand what I'm saying they are essential to any legitimate program but they should be used to develop positions and to a lesser extent absolute strength due to the amazing speed that is required to receive loads and recover loads.

Really

Ok so my vow of silence has ended and unlike a shoalin monk there is no penalty other than my own piece of mind. I propose a question to you minions, what do words like "Beastmode" and other annoying slang I see all around town mean to you? I find things like this to be absolute Comedic Gold. I see this paralelling some CrossFit shirts I have read like "Smoke you like cheap crack" smoke me at what? Or "Our workout is your Warm Up." I ponder this question in refference to a conversation I had with Glenn Pendlay last week. At an open weightlifting event a guy was warming up beside my friend/coach Jon North. Jon was warming up with 150kg to open with a snatch of 163kg. The guys next to him also in the 93kg clas was warming up and missing with 55kg for a declared opening weight of 60kg??? All the while the guy was proudly displaying his your workout is our warm up shirt. The reason I approach this topic (I will no doubt piss some people off with this) is to open peoples eyes to the fact that in CrossFit we are good at several things, Like a jack of all trades yet a master of none, yet we puff our chest and claim to be the fittest on Earth. Could I win the CrossFit Games? Not by any stretch of my imagination, thus the reason I dont go "Beastmode" on workouts. It is this mentality that lends itself to poor coaching with a lack of detail and rational programming and more focused on being an elite athlete. Greg Everett said it best, in CrossFit the new focus is on getting to the "Games" and being an elite athlete while neglecting every aspect of being an ethical, responsible, educated strength professional, while still touting claims that this is fitness for everyone? Look I love CrossFit I also love the sport of weightlifting, much like many of you love endurance sports. Moral of the story I will never show up to a sporting event where people who take their sport seriously, sporting my "Beastmode" shirt claiming that I am CrossFit therefore I will "Smash on You" while running my 38 min 5k or snatching 50kg!!!