Cleaning Up The Power Clean

Olympic-style weightlifting is becoming a staple in every gym across the country, all thanks to the uprising of CrossFit. The downside is that most of the everyday gym goers have no prior experience of Olympic weightlifting other than what they see others doing in the gym, in videos, or during the CrossFit games. Now, in respect of CrossFit it has single handedly put more barbells in hands and people in gyms than anything in history.

One of the most often butchered lifts seen in a gym is the Power Clean. As mentioned before we live in a monkey see-monkey do world. Without knowing anything about the lift and the dangers of improperly performing it, people want to load up an impressive amount of weight and just heave it up in any way possible. Check your pride at the door and save your body for years to come.

The Power Clean involves a few different movements combined into one, closed kinetic chain, explosive movement.The first movement is pulling the weight off the floor as done in a deadlift. The initial pull is performed with a flat back, high chest, and eyes looking forward. As the weight is pulled off the floor, keep the back flat, push the knees back making the bar come up the shins and back instead of up and around the knees. As the bar clears the knees, an immediate change of speed occurs as the hips, knees, and ankles are explosively extended, and the shoulders are shrugged causing the person to jump off the ground. As soon as the body becomes tripled extended, the High Pull occurs with the elbows flexing and arms being horizontally abducted. At the top of the High Pull, the person then drops under the bar to catch or “rack” the weight on top of the shoulders. To catch the weight, the elbows flip under the bar as the person drops(squats) under the bar into flexed hips, knees, and ankles. The weight should be caught on the heels with the hips back, much like the position of a front squat.1

The lift should be performed starting and ending in the same spot. If the athlete is jumping forward, the hips are likely not getting extended during the second pull, creating the bar to be out and away from the body.2 Flexibility and joint mobility play a huge roll in the execution of the Power Clean, which can make the lift a total disaster from the start, because the lifter is unable to set up on the bar correctly for the initial pull. This creates back issues by pulling with a rounded back instead of properly using the legs. Beginners should start light and focus on technique first and foremost. As technique gets better, the bar will begin to fly and the amount of weight you are able to handle will go up. The hips are able to create a tremendous amount of power so remember, bring the hips to the party.

References

1Weightlifting 101. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Weightlifting101/Instructional-Videos

2Flemming, W. (2012, March 22). Strength Training Programs: The 7 Most Common Power Clean Technique Mistakes. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.ericcressey.com/strength-training-programthe-7-most-common-power-clean-technique-mistakes