The Power Clean

I’ve been putting the power clean into quite a few of my clients workouts lately so I’m going to put up a description of how to do the power clean properly for referance. Here we go!

Power clean start position

Start the power clean with the barbell resting on the floor place your feet under the barbell wit your shins about two inches from the barbell. Bend over and grab the barbell with both hands just slightly wider than your shoulders in an over grip. Now flatten our back, chest out, head up, arms straight, hips higher than the knees, but lower than the shoulders, the barbell is now barely touching your shins.

Initial movement in the power clean

Now squeeze the barbell off the floor slowly, keeping this position of the hips higher than the knees and lower than the shoulders, back flat (you will not scrape your shins if you keep your shoulders in line or slightly in front of the bar, it only happens when you sit back too far into the squat position or the weight is very heavy for you).

The power clean explosion

As the barbell gets above the knees begin accelerating the speed of the barbell and as the barbell gets to mid to upper thigh level explode with as much force as you can into pulling the barbell to your shoulders. Keep the barbell as close to your body as possible, extending up on your toes and at the same time shrugging your shoulders. Make sure that you fully extend the hips before using the toes.

The power clean catch

Now with your body completely extended bend your arms to your elbows shoot forward and dip under the rising barbell simultaneously to catch the barbell with the elbows high and forward. You catch the barbell on top of your shoulders, across the collar bone and throat as you dip into the quarter squat, with your hips behind you, to catch the bar.

This is the power clean catch position and it is what makes this a power clean instead of a squat clean or regular clean. It’s a power clean because you only do a small dip to receive the bar. Once you catch the bar return to the fully standing position and you’ve got yourself a sweet power clean.

One thing to remember is that this lift starts slow and finishes fast and dynamically but under control. Don’t try to rip the bar off the floor as fast as possible, use positive acceleration.