By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
Too many people unnecessarily
avoid power cleans because (unlike other lifts) they wrongly
tend to assume that any minor technical error they make will
result in catastrophic injury. Are you one of these people?
Do you just assume that cleans are only for "advanced"
lifters and that you have no business attempting them?
If so, please read on. My goal in
this article is to convince you that you can start incorporating
cleans into your program, right now, with fantastic results. I'm
assuming by the way, that you have at least a cursory understanding
of what a clean is, and what one looks like. If not, please first
refer to the videos I've posted in the article for a quick brush-up.
Jeff's First Attempt
At The Clean
Dr. Jeff Bernstein is a coaching-group
client of ours who recently gave the clean a shot after some verbal
and textual instruction from me, and watching some videos of cleans
on You Tube. Jeff has had NO hands-on instruction on this exercise.
Here's how he did:
Now this isn't a technically perfect
clean, but that being said, I've coached pro athletes with worse
cleans than this. The main error here is that the bar should stay
closer to the body throughout the movement path. But it's a safe
execution and a great start.
Bumper Plates Really
Help
Note that Jeff's using 120 pounds
here, which means the plates he's using are of a smaller diameter
than a normal 45-pound plate. The solution to this problem is to
use bumper plates, which allow you to use less than 135-pounds,
with plates that position the bar in the same place it'd be if you
were using 45's. If you don't have bumpers, you can set your barbell
on steps or simply start the bar at mid-shin. Not ideal, but it'll
get you by until you're strong enough to comfortably manage 135
pounds.
The goal of a clean (whether it be
a "power" clean or a "full squat" clean) is
to bring the bar from Point A (the floor) to Point B (your shoulders).
In fact, this is the very definition of "clean." Given
this, it's important to have some strong familiarity with Point
B before you proceed any further- after all, if you're not familiar/comfortable
with where the bar's headed to, you're likely to move the bar in
an uncertain manner. Here's a quick video I made recently that shows
you how to comfortably "rack" the bar on your shoulders-
this is your Point B:
Once you're comfortable with this
position and can hit it consistently, it's time to get comfortable
with Point A: Taking the bar off the floor and toward your knees.
The movement is essentially like a deadlift, with a few specialized
nuances. Here's a video of one of our clients practicing a drill
called a "clean liftoff." In addition to being a great
strength-training drill in it's own right, it's also a great way
to rehearse the correct hip, shoulder, and knee angles for the clean.
The most critical thing to observe in this video is how the bar
stays close and how the knees shift backwards as the bar rises.
This puts you into a position where your shoulders are in front
of (or ahead of) the bar as the bar passes your knees:
OK. You're now familiar with Point
A and Point B. Next, let's connect the dots by learning how to do
the "clean pull." The clean pull comprises the entire
active part of the clean, starting from the initial pull off the
floor to full body extension. Note that the first ½ of the
clean pull is the clean lift-off, so really this is in essence a
continuation of the clean lift-off. Take a look:
One important point to notice on this
video is the tempo used: the lift starts off slowly and then culminates
in an explosive full-body extension (including a big shrug and coming
up on the toes). Also notice that the arms do not actively pull-
instead, the elbows bend passively so that the arms do not impede
the upward progress of the bar.
Here's a video where I do my best
to pantomime what's called a "rushed first pull;"
This is what happens when you have
a monotonous tempo- remember, slow off the floor, get into the power
position, and then violently extend upward. If you simply yank it
off the floor, you'll look as bad as I did in that video!
Putting
It All Together
The only thing I haven't covered
thus far is the segment of the clean starting from the finish
of the clean pull to racking the bar on the shoulders. This
is the "passive" aspect of the clean. The less
you over-think it, the better. The main goal here is to
just get out of the bar's way, and then catch it on the
shoulders. Incidentally, if the weight's very heavy (which
it shouldn't be if you're just learning how to clean), you
may need to sink into a semi-squat to get low enough to
rack the bar. Even if you don't need to, it's a good idea
to practice catching the bar in a semi-squat- you'll need
this skill down the line anyway.
What Are Your Experiences?
Let's keep the discussion
going! If you'd like to relate your experiences with the
clean (positive or negative) and/or you have unanswered
questions, just click the "discuss" link below.
See ya there!
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About
The Author
His colleagues call him
an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients
call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability
to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself
a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout
school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are
ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing demeanor
have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show
and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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