Hey-

I've been bang'n the hell out of my shins when I start a pull from the floor. Maybe I'm sloppy or maybe I'm tired or whatever, but I really pulled a fresh bar into my right shin last night and peeled the flesh for about an inch or two. It kinda stings when the sweat gets in there and is a real buzz-kill.

I was think'n about using my knee wraps to wrap my shins when I do snatch or cleans, but I'm not sure of the proper etiquette.

Would you guys make fun of me if you saw me do'n that? 

-AbraidedShins

ShinTastic-

Yes!

Just wear some high socks or throw a long strip of athletic tape up both your shins prior to lifting.  You may lose some hair after but you've got some sexy legs Kev.  Get 'em waxed.

On a more serious note you should only rarely hit yourself in the shins doing snatches or cleans.  Deadlifts are a different story.  If your shins bleed after deadlifts then your doing something right.  Try starting the lift with the bar above where your toes meet your foot instead of over your arch.  Kind of like where your shoe laces starts as opposed to where you tie them.  Just a thought.

-WaxingPoetic

Poetic-

Waxing, ... high socks, ... damn, and I was worried you guys were gonna make fun of me for the knee wraps. I did consider the tape and that just sounds ... uncomfortable. And of course, I turned in all my tube socks back at the "Y2K BadFashion Bonfire."

I feel like the bar is right over my laces feet when I start, but as my pull starts and head and shoulder-raise up ... the bar pulls into my shins at about 4-5 inches below the knee. I want my knees flexed, right? So my knees are out forward and over the bar when it starts.

And it seems to happen mainly when I'm tired... or maybe sloppy too... ya know ... after practice. Maybe the leg fatigue causes them to start too slow. I donno... I'm hav'n fun anyway.

-Shinny

Coach-

Last 2 eyelets means ... the bar is right over the balls of my feet? or the arch?

I understand the pendulum idea, but where is the mistake? when I address the bar and my stance, or when the legs begin to fire and the upperbody extends?

Thanks,

-The REAL ShinShady

old great and heralded one....

you may be straighening your back before your legs get going....the bar will come back to your shins and scrape....

or you could be just pulling back instead of up

Armstrong has not sent you his technique video yet I take it?

Start your deadlift with the bar right above where the toe and foot meet and push your legs through the floor.  Your back and legs should straighten at the same time and with the same speed.  If yor form is correct your should very rarly hit your shins.  you do not see top power lifters or oly lifters walking around with blood dripping from the shins.

This is a tip that a top USAPL lifter clued me into and my deadlift exploded up as soon as I corrected my form

Ummm, actually you do see that, and out of the biggest deadlifter in the world too. 

If you watch the interview you can see the blood running down...cool.   http://www.marunde-muscle.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1294 - http://www.marunde-muscle.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmen tid=1294

If you are deading and not scraping your shins, you're doing something wrong, IMO.

-C

BTW - for those that don't know, he pulled a WR 970 last weekend at WPO worlds.

Also, Kev, if you don't like the blood, soccer socks are the way to go.  Or the neoprene shin sleves (my partner used to wear em).

-C

OK, let me say that, you are correct when they are going for their absolute max (or near max) but not day to day workouts.  I find ( and maybe it is just my body structure) that once the bar hits the knees all I have to do is throw the hips and round the shoulders.

Umm, i agree, i dont hit my shins when the bar is at my knees either  

But i do have nice lines (scars?) all the way up both shins.  It's like the permanent caber mark on my right collarbone....

-C

I thought I was that only one walking around with a golf ball on my right coller bone

Good come back Craig

Kevin you need to push your knees back in the Olympic lifts, when you are below the knees, after the initial lift-off the floor.  This enables you to execute the scoop phase of the lift.