







By Jim Schmitz



U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team Coach 1980, 1988 & 1992

Author of Olympic-style Weightlifting for Beginner & Intermediate Weightlifters Manual and DVD





Split Lifting Technique

Four years ago, I wrote an article for MILO, “Can’t Squat? Try the Split Snatch and Split Clean for Fun and Big Rewards” (June 2008, Vol. 16, No. 1). I want to update my personal experience coaching the split snatch and split clean since then.

The split snatch and split clean are performed by pulling the bar just as you would for a power or squat lift, but instead you split one leg forward about one foot, and the other leg backward about two feet. You then recover to the standing position. The key points of the split lifts are extremely fast feet and arms as you go from the top pull to the split receiving position.

Why do the split lifts? As I learned seven years ago while teaching USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach Certification courses, there are a lot of people who just aren’t able to squat snatch or squat clean. The main reason is lack of shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle flexibility. Another big reason is height—if one is over 6’ 3” (1.9 m), he usually just doesn’t have good body proportions for doing the squat lifts. The third reason is that it is a preferred technique of master lifters. Maybe this is why some people just don’t want to do the split lifts as they are considered old-fashioned or old-man lifting. However, for any or all of those reasons you should consider doing the split technique.

My personal experience is that I was a split lifter from 1960 until 1965 when I finally learned how to squat snatch and squat clean. I was a squat lifter from 1966 until 2010. My knees and shoulders just don’t like the full squat lifts anymore—I can do them, but it takes too many days and too much ibuprofen to recover. Now I’m splitting again, and not lifting as much as I did squatting, but my knees and shoulders feel so much better. The splits just don’t put the same amount of stress on the joints.

The split technique is very athletic and really should be a part of all strength and conditioning programs. When I teach the USAW course, I have everyone learn the split technique after they have learned the power and squat techniques, as the courses are made up of strength coaches, personal trainers, CrossFitters, and weightlifting coaches. For most, it’s a brand new lift they really like and enjoy, and they realize its value for sports performance training.