The Split Style Isn't Dead - Dresdin Archibald (Breaking Muscle)

Skipping forward several decades from Charle's Coster's Squat Style vs the Split, we have Dresdin Archibald's commentary at the Breaking Muscle site on the resurgence of the split lifts among masters lifters, CrossFit, and athletes training for other sports.

This is a really great article that provides a very balanced discussion of some of the advantages and disadvantages of the split lifts. He also provides some excellent commentary on technique, including an observation that elite-level split lifting requires a significant degree of lower body mobility:

This rebirth of splitters has not usually been accompanied by improved split technique. This is because few of these new splitters are elite lifters. They thus have little real incentive to improve their form. Overhead positions in the squat style require good flexibility. Splitting is friendlier to those older lifters without this ability. Since their splits are a compromise between that style or not lifting at all, they are happy even if they split imperfectly.

Things are different down below though. In order to do a full split, full enough to get as low as a squatter, one has to have excellent ankle, knee and hip mobility, adductor looseness, foot displacement speed, plus the stability to get to that position and recover with heavy weights. Few non-elite lifters of that era could actually get as low as the champs then.

Also note his comments regarding the ideal receiving position, which undoubtedly require great mobility and strength at limit weights:

The receiving position is as follows:

• Front leg - The ankle is dorsiflexed while the knee is well forward of the toes and foot flat on the platform.
• Real leg - The foot is balanced on the toes while the knee is nearly straight while not touching the platform
• Torso – Upper body is fully perpendicular to the platform
• Hips - The hips are below the level of the forward knee
• Barbell – Straight overhead in snatch, not in dislocate position. No difference in clean.

 As in the jerk it’s advised that the forward foot travel about 1.5 times the length of the foot. However, in the snatch or the clean the split will be deeper, so the feet will end up farther apart.

This receiving position calls to mind images of Norbert Schemansky split snatching elite-level weights.

Schemansky displaying ideal low receiving position in split snatch

The entire article is worth a read. Considering Mr. Archibald's background, he speaks from a place of authority.