Clean

How to Perform the Clean

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out, with the barbell over mid-foot. Hinge at the hips and grip the bar just outside your knees with an overhand or hook grip.
2. Set your starting position: chest up, back flat, hips higher than knees, shoulders slightly in front of the bar. Brace your core and take the slack out of the bar.
3. Initiate the first pull by driving through the floor with your legs, keeping the bar close to your shins. Maintain a constant back angle until the bar passes the knees.
4. As the bar passes your knees, aggressively extend your hips, knees, and ankles in a powerful triple extension, driving the bar upward. Shrug your shoulders forcefully.
5. Once you reach full extension, pull yourself under the bar by dropping into a front squat position while rotating your elbows forward to catch the bar on your front delts.
6. Receive the bar in a front rack position with elbows high, then stand up by driving through your heels to complete the lift. Reset and repeat.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Muscles Worked

Benefits

• ✓Develops total-body explosive power that transfers directly to athletic performance in sports.
• ✓Trains the entire posterior chain, quadriceps, shoulders, and core in a single movement.
• ✓Improves coordination, timing, and neuromuscular efficiency more than any other single exercise.

Pro Tips

• ●Master the deadlift and front squat before attempting cleans. These foundational movements build the strength base needed for the clean.
• ●Practice with an empty barbell or PVC pipe to develop proper technique before adding significant weight.
• ●Use a hook grip (thumb wrapped around the bar under your fingers) for a more secure grip during heavy cleans.

Recommended Sets & Reps