During his April, 2009 visit to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Todd Widman conducted a one-on-one coaching session with a cadet named Matt Feiden.

Matt is a strong athlete who plays slotback on the Army football team. He’s a solid performer on most lifts. But flexibility issues have led to problems with squat cleans. Todd coaches Matt through a session that tackles his weak point.

Todd begins by breaking down the move, step by step. He advises Matt to squat lower, explode up and bring himself under the bar, and then jump and shrug. He repeats the cue “chest and elbows up” several times, knowing that it will be a constant struggle for Matt. “You’ve got to fight down there,” Todd says.

Being fast is the key to the squat clean. Success has little to do with strength. After working with a PVC pipe, Matt moves up to 135 lbs.