Exercise movement reviewed by:Cody Lockling, MS, CSCS

How Iridium Programs This

Since this technical drill uses negligible weight, Iridium excludes it from your primary volume calculations to prevent skewing your specific muscle group fatigue scores. The system typically programs this movement when your warmup preferences favor dynamic technical work, particularly before heavier Olympic lifting variations. This allows you to reinforce the motor pattern without eating into your Maximum Recoverable Volume for the week.

Form Cues

Hinge at the hips to lower the pipe just above knees
Explosively extend hips and knees to drive upward
Shrug shoulders and pull elbows high and outside
Drop quickly into a partial squat
Whip elbows around fast to catch the pipe on shoulders

Don't

Don't pull with your arms before extending your hips
Don't let the pipe swing away from your body
Don't catch with your elbows pointing down
Don't round your back during the setup

Common Mistakes

Bending arms too early (muscling the weight)
Slow elbow turnover during the catch
Swinging the bar out in a loop
Failing to fully extend hips

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily activates the glutes and hamstrings through the explosive hip extension, while the trapezius and deltoids assist in the upward pull. The catch phase engages the core and upper back stabilizers to maintain a strong front rack position.