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CSCS Exercise technique: key points

Exercise technique rewards hands-on coaching experience. Safety points such as breathing, spotting, body position, and grips come up often.

Points that often appear

Breathing basics

Exhale through the sticking point and inhale during the easier phase. Experienced lifters may briefly use the Valsalva maneuver to brace, but prolonged breath-holding raises blood pressure excessively.

Exercises that are not spotted

Power exercises such as cleans and snatches move too fast to spot safely. Instead, athletes learn to drop the bar forward on a missed lift.

Five points of contact

For supine bench exercises, the head, shoulders/upper back, and buttocks stay on the bench and both feet stay on the floor.

Grips

Cleans and snatches use the hook grip, which traps the thumb under the fingers. Heavy deadlifts often use the alternated grip, with one hand pronated and one supinated.

Knees in the squat

During the descent the knees track in the same direction as the toes. Letting the knees cave inward increases stress on the knee.

Triple extension

In the second pull of the clean, the hip, knee, and ankle extend explosively at the same time (the ankle plantarflexes).

Watch for this trap

Watch for trick questions about which exercises should or should not be spotted, and about which body part is not one of the five points of contact (the lower back).