The power clean is a derivative movement of the clean, the Olympic weightlifting movement performed in competition as part of the clean and jerk. Both the clean and the power clean involve taking a load from the floor to a support position at the shoulders. The difference is that while in the clean, the athlete may receive the bar in a full front-squat position, the power clean requires the athlete to receive the bar at the shoulders in a partial squat — the crease of the hips must stay above the top of the knees, rather than a full squat. While it may not develop our neurological skills to the same extent as the clean, the power clean still hones all 10 general physical skills, allows for the execution of this valuable movement pattern even for those with impaired mobility, and is especially useful for developing strength and power. Read further to learn everything you need to know about the clean and jerk:
- What Is the Power Clean?
- Power Clean Benefits
- Muscle Groups Worked
- How to Prepare for the Power Clean
- Equipment Needed for the Power Clean
- How to Warm Up for the Power Clean
- How to Perform the Power Clean
- Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Power Clean Modifications
- Power Clean Lift Variations
- Common Power Clean Workouts
- Get Started Today!
What Is the Power Clean?
The power clean requires the athlete to lift the barbell from the ground to the shoulders while receiving the bar in a partial squat, meaning the crease of the hips may not descend below the tops of the knees. Generally, the deepest position for the lift to still count as a power clean is when the bar is received with the tops of the thighs parallel with the ground. To complete a power clean, the athlete uses their legs to lift the bar from the ground to just past the knees, then aggressively “jumps” to fully extend their hips and legs to impart speed and upward momentum on the bar. With the bar moving vertically, the athlete immediately pulls themselves down under it, receiving the bar in a partial front squat and then standing to full hip and knee extension with the bar on the shoulders to finish the lift.
Power Clean Benefits
The power clean is a valuable training tool that develops cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina, strength, power, speed, and agility, and a whole host of neurological adaptations.
Cardiorespiratory Endurance and Stamina
Although commonly associated with heavy 1-3 rep sets, the power clean delivers a significant dose of cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina when performed for high reps. Sets of power cleans for 15 reps or more can be performed safely and effectively with light to moderate loads and, due to the distance the weight travels at a relatively high speed, they elicit similar cardio benefits to 800-meter runs. In these sets, stamina, or local muscular endurance, is also developed in the forearms, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
Strength
Power cleans develop full-body strength as athletes must apply significant force while performing a dynamic deadlift, a jump, and a partial squat. The power clean, therefore, develops great strength in the upper back, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, abdominals, and obliques. The power clean develops great core strength as the body must absorb the impact and load of receiving the bar at the shoulders without letting the elbows drop and the upper and lower back round. Given the same great technique, every pound added to the bar increases the strength development potential of a power clean.
Power
To calculate power, we look at the load used, the distance traveled, and how long it takes to complete the movement. When a large load is moved long distances and quickly, high power is produced. With its capacity to move relatively heavy loads from the ground to shoulders with blinding speed, the power clean is a clear expression of power and produces powerful athletes.
Speed and Agility
Power Cleans teach the ability to forcefully and fully extend, and then immediately and rapidly flex the hips as the bar is jumped from the hang position to the shoulders. This skill is necessary to improve cycle time in repeated sprints, agility movements, jumps, or squats.
Neurological Adaptations
The technical complexity of the power clean develops neurological aspects of fitness such as coordination, accuracy, and balance. The power clean requires the coordination of every joint and every major muscle group and transfers well to other complex motor patterns. The power clean develops balance by resisting the tendency to be pulled forward out of position in the first pull and in the receiving position. It also necessitates maintaining balance and stability while absorbing the force of an external load as the bar arrives at the shoulders. Athletes must be accurate in all phases of the movement — from the first pull to the mid-thigh position, to the jump of the second pull, to the pull down and around the bar in the third pull — to execute a power clean optimally.
With high-rep power clean workouts, athletes can practice sound technique and develop neurological adaptations while fatigued, which mimics requirements found in sport as well as many endeavors enjoyed outside of the gym.
Muscle Groups Worked
The power clean places demands on all major muscle groups throughout the entire body.
Lower Body
The muscles of the legs, especially the hips, quads, glutes, and hamstrings, are prime movers in power clean. These muscles are engaged in all phases of the lift: pulling the weight from the floor, exploding vertically to drive the bar into the rack position, receiving the bar in a partial front squat, and standing the weight up.
Upper Body and core
The shoulder girdle, back, and core muscles are engaged throughout the power clean. These muscles contract isometrically to allow for the efficient transfer of forces from the ground into the bar. As the lifter pulls the weight from the floor, these muscles keep the torso angle consistent. When the athlete jumps the bar the rack position, these muscles keep the midline stable so the force produced from the rapid hip and leg extension will pass through the midline into the bar. The upper back works to maintain the proper rack position of the bar when standing with the load on the shoulders.
How to Prepare for the Power Clean
Preparing to power clean requires assembling the proper equipment and performing a general and specific warm-up to get the body ready to move through the ranges of motion required.
Equipment Needed for the Power Clean
To train the power clean, an athlete can use a PVC pipe or barbells of various weights, from 10 to 45 lb, as needed. The barbells used should spin freely to accommodate the speed of the delivery to the rack position and protect the athlete’s wrists. The weights used should be rubber bumper plates so the athlete can safely drop the bar when needed.
How to Warm Up for the Power Clean
To warm up for the power clean, the lifter should perform general movements that work every joint through their full range of motion. Goblet squats, bar hangs, ring rows or pull-ups, lunges, pass-throughs, shoulder presses, and GHD hip extensions are good choices for the general warm-up.
For the specific warm-up, a variety of teaching progressions exist. Consider the following:
Step 1: Front squat
Step 2: Muscle clean
Step 3: High hang power clean
Step 4: Hang power clean from mid-thigh
Step 5: Light power clean, start building load
How to do the Power Clean
The power clean can be broken down into distinct phases.
Setup Position
Stance: The feet start under the hips or slightly wider than hip-width. The weight should be distributed through the midfoot in the start position.
Grip: The lifter utilizes a hook grip with the hands placed slightly outside of the legs or approximately a thumb’s length outside of the hips when standing tall. The grip width can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of the athlete.
Body Position: The lifter finds a position where they can lift with their legs to pull the bar off the floor. This athlete will bend the legs slightly more than in a traditional deadlift position, keeping the hips higher than the knees and the shoulders higher than the hips. The low back is flat, shoulders are slightly in front of the barbell, and the head is up with eyes focused forward.
First Pull
The first pull takes the barbell from the floor to approximately the mid-thigh position. This is primarily a positioning pull to set the athlete up for the aggressive extension components of the second pull.
In the first pull, the lifter pulls the weight from the ground as their legs straighten. As the bar moves vertically and approaches the knees, the athlete’s hips and shoulders rise simultaneously, keeping the athlete’s torso angle with the floor unchanged from the start position. Also, as the bar begins to move, the athlete must shift their weight back toward their heels and guide the bar back into their body.
Second Pull
The second pull is the final aggressive hip extension element before the pull under the barbell. The second pull starts as the barbell reaches approximately the middle of the thigh. As the bar reaches mid-thigh, the athlete “jumps” through the heels aggressively, rapidly extending the legs and hips to accelerate the bar vertically. The bar must stay close to the body during its upward travel, and it’s important to note that the arms are still long in this position.
Third Pull
Once the athlete has completed the “jump” (i.e., the full extension of the legs and hips), the third pull begins with a violent shrug and the athlete’s arms bending — elbows high and outside — to pull the athlete around, down, and under the bar to receive the bar in a partial front squat. Again, the bar stays close to the lifter as the arms bend to pull the athlete down, the feet slide quickly from hip width to shoulder width, and the athlete aggressively rotates the elbows forward and up to receive the bar in a stable and strong front squat position. The athlete stands with the bar racked on the shoulders to complete the power clean.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
There are several common power clean mistakes lifters should be aware of and avoid. The following list contains major elements to consider and does not contain all of the nuanced minor faults that may exist.
Incomplete First Pull
When attempting to complete the first pull of lifting the load from the floor to the mid-thigh position, there is a tendency for athletes to either let the bar drift away from the body or for athletes to initiate the “jump” too early before reaching the mid-thigh position. This error may result in the athlete being pulled forward and may result in an ineffective use of the hips on the second pull and/or an inefficient bar path. The athlete can focus on slowing down the first pull of the movement to feel the right positions and ensure that the bar stays tight to the body.
Not Fully Extending the Hips and Legs
At the end of the second pull of the power clean, the athlete’s legs and hips should be fully extended. However, it is a common fault for athletes to cut this extension short by not fully extending the hips and trying to “sneak” under the bar to receive it in the rack position. This limits the power transferred into the bar and diminishes the bar’s upward travel and speed. Athletes should focus on jumping hard before they pull themselves under the bar. Tall power cleans are a good drill to ingrain the finish position in the power clean.
Collapsing in the Receiving Position
A proper receiving position of the clean sees the athlete in a partial front squat, chest up, back engaged, knees tracking in line with the toes, and a proper rack position established with the elbows high. Often, athletes fail to receive the bar in this strong position. Instead, they receive the bar with low elbows, let the shoulders and chest roll forward, and the back round, making it very difficult to stand up with the load. To properly receive the bar, athletes should aggressively turn the bar over into the rack position and keep the chest up. Practicing front squats with a pause in the bottom position can help build strength and awareness in the partial position.
Pulling Early With the Arms
The arms should remain straight on the first and second pulls of the power clean and should only start to pull on the bar after full hip and knee extension have been achieved. Commonly, athletes will bend their arms early. When this occurs, power output is reduced, and other faults may occur, like the bar drifting away from the body or lack of hip extension. To work on this fault, athletes can perform a barbell complex of 2 clean pulls followed by 1 power clean.
Power Clean Modifications
The power clean requires not only strength but also flexibility and mobility, sound technique, and speed through various positions of the movement. In training, any lifter can be accommodated by modifying the load and positions.
PVC or Light Loads
When learning the power clean technique, a PVC pipe is a great tool to allow the athlete to move properly without concern for the bar’s weight. However, the PVC doesn’t adequately mimic the rotation of a real bar, and its lightness makes maintaining a sound front-rack position and feeling the correct positions difficult. In this instance, a light training bar can be used to drill the movement.
Utilize Dumbbells
Utilizing a set of dumbbells can give similar benefits to the barbell and may be advisable for those who have extreme difficulty with the front-rack position of the movement.
Start the Movement From an Elevated Surface
Those with difficulty establishing a sound starting position can elevate the bar on a set of blocks to start the power clean in a sound and stable position.
Power Clean Variations
There are many power clean variations athletes can use depending on the specifications of the workout and the workout demands. Similar movement patterns can also be trained with other pieces of equipment such as dumbbells, sandbags, or strongman logs and kegs.
Hang Power Cleans
Power cleans can be performed from the high-hang position or the mid-thigh position, as opposed to from the ground. These versions are technically called hang power cleans. For high-hang power cleans, the athlete stands tall with the bar at the hips and initiates the lift with a dip and drive of the legs (jump) while keeping the torso vertical. For hang power cleans, the athlete lowers the bar to mid-thigh before initiating the lift with a rapid extension of the legs and hips (jump).
Common Power Clean Workouts
CrossFit Football Total: For load: 1-rep-max power clean/1-rep-max back squat/1-rep-max bench press/1-rep-max deadlift
Deadlifts and power cleans: 7 rounds for load: 3 deadlifts/3 power cleans
Bear Complex: 5 rounds for load: Complete 7 unbroken sets of the complex: 1 power clean/1 front squat/1 push press/1 back squat/1 push press
Max Power Clean: 1-rep-max power clean
The Power Clean