Power Clean Form Help (Vid)

[WeightLiftinFun]

Greetings,

Posted a couple in the Olympic section, figured might be able to get a little feedback here on what I'm doing wrong as well. I've been obsessing over PCs for the last week or so, so I will be very grateful to anyone who can help me get relatively competent at them so I can move on with my life. Thanks.

Borrowed some old dress shoes for this one cause I heard its better than running shoes. I guess it looks pretty silly.



Other angle:



Thanks.

[PitbullJR]

Looks good but when you are bringing the weight up EXPLODE KID. You are bringing the weight up kind of slow and then cleaning it once its at your thigh which is bascially a hang clean. Power Clean explode through the whole motion.

[thedestro]

Very little hip extension at the top--you're just pulling the weight up with your arms.

Oh, and stop jumping backwards.

[WeightLiftinFun]

shux destro, that's exactly what I didn't want to hear (arm pulling). i think about it so much during the lift i can't believe I'm still doing it. kinda pisses me off to be honest, gonna take me a while to fall asleep now. sigh...back to the drawing board i guess. thanks for the honest feedback.

pitbull, i was under the impression that the first pull was meant to be done slow and controlled, and the real explosion didn't start until the second pull. that being said, i know im not exploding that powerfully yet, i guess I'm just trying to make sure I understand the mechanics of the lift before I start trying to stomp holes in the ground. from what destro said, its obvious im not there yet.

[Quarter Nelson]

Back angle needs to stay the same during the first pull. Your back is coming up way too early, it needs to wait to extend during the second pull instead.

fyi first pull is from the ground to whenever your shins become perpendicular to the ground (about when the bar gets to you're knees), and the second pull is immediately after that.

[WeightLiftinFun]

ttt

[bango skank]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Looks good but when you are bringing the weight up EXPLODE KID. You are bringing the weight up kind of slow and then cleaning it once its at your thigh which is bascially a hang clean. Power Clean explode through the whole motion.

Wrong. The first pull is slow like a deadlift, the second pull (at the thighs) is explosive.

[Squizzzer]

other than the little hop backwards it's pretty good dude....on the second vid though you can see you sorta....can't think of a word for it...you sorta "twitch" when you start the second pull...

but yeah...not bad...no reason to lose sleep tonight

[WeightLiftinFun]

thanks squizzer, i gotta work on not jumping backwards. as for the twitch, i dont know, i guess ive always been a bit of a spaz.

[thedestro]

You can see in the 2nd vid that your hips aren't even fully extended before you start to bend the arms. Pretty obviously just pulling it up with the arms.

[WeightLiftinFun]

I'm not doubting you destro, I'm far from good at the lift. Any exercises you recommend to fix my arm bending problem? (maybe high pulls or something?)

Thanks for the feedback.

[PitbullJR]

Originally Posted by bango skank

Wrong. The first pull is slow like a deadlift, the second pull (at the thighs) is explosive.

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

[PrisonerDilemma]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...The_Powerclean

I think I would trust Mark Rippetoe when it comes to any barbell lift

The Slow Bits

1. Grab a barbell and get in the Rack Position, focus on flexibility. If your wrists aren't quite bendy enough to completely rest the bar on your delts, don't worry. After a few more workouts and some additional weight on the bar, you'll be there.
2. Now get in the Hang Position using the same grip you found in the Rack Position
3. Get in the Jumping Position. Practice going from the Jumping Position to the Hang Position: Unlock the knees/move hips back->move hips forward/lock the knees->unlock the knees/move hips back->move hips forward/lock the knees. Get comfortable with this back-and-forth movement. Chest remains up, back is locked, barbell stays in contact with the thighs as it slides up and down.
4. Now do the exact same thing again, but instead of beginning from the Jumping Position, start lower at the base of the knee. Practice this transition a few times.
5. Keep practicing your transition, going lower each time, all the way down to mid-shins. Focus on keeping he bar on the thigh, keeping your chest up, arms straight and taut, and bringing your hips backward and forward once they pass the knee. Hips lower the bar to the knees and knees lower the bar to the floor.
6. Yes, you've basically been doing a deadlift. That's the first part.

[edit] The Explosive Bits

Now for the fun part. Getting the bar to the shoulders.

1. Get back in the jumping position.
2. Jump and catch the barbell on your shoulders. Are you in the proper Rack Position (elbows up!)
3. Repeat step #2, but land in the correct Rack Position. Get those elbows ALL THE WAY around.
4. Repeat step #3 and touch your shirt with the barbell on the way up (Don't let me catch you using your arms!)
5. Repeat step #4 and stomp your feet on the catch. (Was the bar still touching your thighs? and your shirt?)

[Kiknskreem]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

A hang clean is a hang clean becaue it starts at the hang.

A power clean (by definition, off the floor), no matter the velocity curve throughout the movement, is still a power clean.

[bango skank]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

It's not my fault your school hired a bad coach.

[J.L.C.]

Originally Posted by Kiknskreem

A hang clean is a hang clean becaue it starts at the hang.

A power clean (by definition, off the floor), no matter the velocity curve throughout the movement, is still a power clean.

Actually, a power clean is defined as being caught with the thighs above parallel. You can do power cleans from the hang.


Back to the pull speed discussion: the 1st pull should be slower than the 2nd. The goal is to build momentum/acceleration as you approach the 2nd pull which involves peak acceleration and force transfer to the bar.

Some lifters have faster 1st pulls than others. Beginners especially are typically advised to use a slow first pull in order to control and maintain proper positions.

Zatsiorsky and Kraemer (Science and practice of strength training) also argue that a lower bar velocity allows for more force to be developed and transferred to the bar in the 2nd pull (force-velocity relationship).

It should also be noted that Rippetoe is not a weightlifter and not a weightlifting coach. There are better sources of guidance on the olympic lifts IMO.

[bango skank]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

Originally Posted by Kiknskreem

A hang clean is a hang clean becaue it starts at the hang.

A power clean (by definition, off the floor), no matter the velocity curve throughout the movement, is still a power clean.

Originally Posted by J.L.C.

Actually, a power clean is defined as being caught with the thighs above parallel. You can do power cleans from the hang.

Clean: Pulled from the ground, caught in a full front squat
Power Clean: Pulled from the ground, caught above parallel
Hang Clean: Pulled from the hang position, caught in a full front squat
Hang Power Clean: Pulled from the hang position, caught above parallel
Muscle Clean: Pulled from the ground, caught with legs fully extended
Continental Clean: Any imaginable way you can get the barbell to your shoulders.

[Kiknskreem]

Originally Posted by J.L.C.

Actually, a power clean is defined as being caught with the thighs above parallel. You can do power cleans from the hang.

I am aware. But if you do it from the hang, it is a 'hang power clean', and from the floor, with no qualifer, it is just a 'power clean'.

[WeightLiftinFun]

man, when i saw all the new replies in this thread i got all excited that I might pick up some more tips. then I saw that we're still arguing about this. can we all just agree to disagree at this point, or take it to pms? all im looking for is help with my crappy power cleans here.

[dcamnc]

I personally don't see any early arm bend. Like someon else said, you're not finishing your second pull, there seems to be a lack of explosion too. Not bad though, keep it up!

[dcamnc]

I looked at it again. It looks like you might be doing the semi upright row thing too that a lot of beginners (including me) tend to do. It looks like you do your second pull, then upright row it to the rack position. I could be wrong, but that's what it looks like.

[WeightLiftinFun]

thanks DC

ttt

[Quarter Nelson]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Not what the strength coach had us doing when I was playing D-1A ball, so I think you are wrong. From what you just stated is basically a Hang Clean, not power clean.

TBH he was probably just trying to get you to do as quick and explosive a movement as possible, and not necessarily try to get you guys to perfect form to clean the most weight possible.

Proper form often takes years to perfect, and a strength coach at a college typically won't have enough time with his athletes to perfect their form. So they just try to have their athletes simply do quick and explosive movements.

I do olympic lifting, and although I wouldn't say the first pull is as slow as a deadlift, it's definitely not as fast or as explosive as the second pull.

[thedestro]

Originally Posted by WeightLiftinFun

man, when i saw all the new replies in this thread i got all excited that I might pick up some more tips. then I saw that we're still arguing about this. can we all just agree to disagree at this point, or take it to pms? all im looking for is help with my crappy power cleans here.

It's really not terrible dude. Just stop pulling with arms.

[Marc27Default]

Originally Posted by PitbullJR

Looks good but when you are bringing the weight up EXPLODE KID. You are bringing the weight up kind of slow and then cleaning it once its at your thigh which is bascially a hang clean. Power Clean explode through the whole motion.

This is why the OP should have left it in the olympic section. This is incorrect and terrible advice.

[WeightLiftinFun]

so we've seen the advice you wouldn't give me. now what advice would you give me?