Power Clean vs. Full Clean

[Szymczyk]

After 4 years of not taking lifting seriously enough in high school I am working hard to get as strong as I can for rugby in college. My question is, which lift would benefit me more for rugby, the power clean or the full clean? Also, any tips on not physching yourself out during these lifts would be great. I went from 225x5 power clean in high school, didn't train over the summer, and now I hesistate halfway up doing 185x5.

[matjusm]

After 4 years of not taking lifting seriously enough in high school I am working hard to get as strong as I can for rugby in college. My question is, which lift would benefit me more for rugby, the power clean or the full clean? Also, any tips on not physching yourself out during these lifts would be great. I went from 225x5 power clean in high school, didn't train over the summer, and now I hesistate halfway up doing 185x5.

They aren't really different exercises. The full clean allows you to use more weight since you drop down further to catch the bar and then squat it up. Otherwise its the same movement. Plus if you're ramping up your weights, you can do power cleans on your lighter sets and full cleans on your heavier ones.

[Stompin_Tom]

barbell jump squats are:

a) way easier to learn, basically a retard can learn them

b) put no stress on the wrists

c) accomplish the exact same goal ( explosive hip, ankle and knee extension). and they actually provide way better explosion and extension. (unless you know how to perform cleans at an olympic level)

d) require less weight

[matjusm]

barbell jump squats are:

a) way easier to learn, basically a retard can learn them

b) put no stress on the wrists

c) accomplish the exact same goal ( explosive hip, ankle and knee extension). and they actually provide way better explosion and extension. (unless you know how to perform cleans at an olympic level)

d) require less weight

A) True but just because something is more difficult doesn't mean its not worth doing. One could argue that you don't need to go to university since you can get a job without a degree as well but that doesn't mean that thats what you should do.

B) Disagree, you still have to hold the bar on back. Also the people who might damage their wrists with the Olympic lifts are those who don't know proper technique. Anyway, you'll be using more weight on exercises like the bench press so your wrists still get plenty action from that.

C) Perhaps. But what if you want to train the lift i.e get better at the clean, jerk and snatch, then jump squats aren't really an alternative.

D) ???? How is this an argument for.....well anything really.

E) I am not too fond of people who are anti-Olympic lifts. I'm considering negging you but I'll give you the benefit of doubt for now.

[Retardo-pex]

After 4 years of not taking lifting seriously enough in high school I am working hard to get as strong as I can for rugby in college. My question is, which lift would benefit me more for rugby, the power clean or the full clean? Also, any tips on not physching yourself out during these lifts would be great. I went from 225x5 power clean in high school, didn't train over the summer, and now I hesistate halfway up doing 185x5.

There are a few camps of thought on this subject. I loved the olympic lifts in high school for sports, I would say doing o-lifts (even bastardized versions of them) on a regular basis help your speed and ability to quickly recruit a lot of muscle like nothing else. That being said I think for the purposes of sport carryover it is not neccessary to learn a perfect full clean and jerk or snatch, but the power variants and even hang variants get the job done.

[LinebackerGod]

either one

[ichidkiller]

After 4 years of not taking lifting seriously enough in high school I am working hard to get as strong as I can for rugby in college. My question is, which lift would benefit me more for rugby, the power clean or the full clean? Also, any tips on not physching yourself out during these lifts would be great. I went from 225x5 power clean in high school, didn't train over the summer, and now I hesistate halfway up doing 185x5.

"Also, any tips on not physching yourself out during these lifts would be great. I went from 225x5 power clean in high school, didn't train over the summer, and now I hesistate halfway up doing 185x5."

To me the full clean is much more difficult technically to perform. I like powercleans better. more natural for me. Powercleans have improved my power in virtually all of the "pulling" exercises. For to get back and beyond 225 you just need to practice the cleans. For "psyche out" I think it better to "psyche up" as in my performance on these kind of lifts varies sometimes on how rested I am and what is going on in my mind at the time of the work out. Peace.

I perform best if I am "angry" it seems to me. just me, but I have found over the years that my atheletic performance improves if I am mad. if I am happy and content I won't try that hard. So to "psyche up" for a big lift think something bad. Like you worst enemy disrespecting you in some harsh way. What ever gets you up. Get angry.

also I take stuff like "no explode" creatine, "Jakd3d" something like that will help get the weight up.

[chazzy1864]

Power clean has less leg involvement.


So choose your exercise based on that.


Matjusm pretty much covered most of the stuff. m, you probably could've safely negged him and not suffered any regret.

[Stompin_Tom]

A) True but just because something is more difficult doesn't mean its not worth doing. One could argue that you don't need to go to university since you can get a job without a degree as well but that doesn't mean that thats what you should do.

B) Disagree, you still have to hold the bar on back. Also the people who might damage their wrists with the Olympic lifts are those who don't know proper technique. Anyway, you'll be using more weight on exercises like the bench press so your wrists still get plenty action from that.

C) Perhaps. But what if you want to train the lift i.e get better at the clean, jerk and snatch, then jump squats aren't really an alternative.

D) ???? How is this an argument for.....well anything really.

E) I am not too fond of people who are anti-Olympic lifts. I'm considering negging you but I'll give you the benefit of doubt for now.

okay. well everything i said you took out of context and put words into my mouth.

a) thats a terrible comparison. you go to university in order to get a better paying job. the reward is greater. doing a jump squat has the same reward in terms of explosion(possibly better). if you are specifically trying to get your clean up, then yeah cleans are better. are you an olympic lifter?

b) you catch a clean in the front squat position. you do a jump squat in a back squat position.

c) you are really gonna compare a front squat to a bench press? bench puts way less stress on your wrists. i dont feel anything in the wrists. as a person with long arms i feel great tension on the tendons when doing a front squat.

[matjusm]

a) thats a terrible comparison. you go to university in order to get a better paying job. the reward is greater. doing a jump squat has the same reward in terms of explosion(possibly better). if you are specifically trying to get your clean up, then yeah cleans are better. are you an olympic lifter?

b) you catch a clean in the front squat position. you do a jump squat in a back squat position.

c) you are really gonna compare a front squat to a bench press? bench puts way less stress on your wrists. i dont feel anything in the wrists. as a person with long arms i feel great tension on the tendons when doing a front squat.

In the front squat the bar rests on your shoulders, not your wrists. You're doing something very wrong if you're saying that the front squat puts a lot of stress on the wrists.

[chazzy1864]

In the front squat the bar rests on your shoulders, not your wrists. You're doing something very wrong if you're saying that the front squat puts a lot of stress on the wrists.

^ True story.


I'm inclined to believe the person is catching with elbows down and weight on wrists.

[Roniboney]

op im like you i cant full clean for shiiiii but power cleans are great.Seems way more natural for me. I've tried to clean more weight using leg drive from an atg position but it just seems so hard.I'm afraid i'd lose balance

[chazzy1864]

op im like you i cant full clean for shiiiii but power cleans are great.Seems way more natural for me. I've tried to clean more weight using leg drive from an atg position but it just seems so hard.I'm afraid i'd lose balance

How are you cleaning if you aren't using leg drive?

[CLK-GTR]

full cleans are much more difficult to learn, and have less room for error with balance etc. whilst the difference in strength gains from the two are pretty negligible.

[iSkinny]

For developing high velocity, high force movements in sport the mid-thigh variations of the power clean produce the highest VGRF, RFD and PPO when compared to the full and hang variations. As there is an intra individual difference presented between 50-90% in all variations of the clean, and the changes on the force-velocity curve occur at the percentage trained at, I suggest that you periodise across a spectrum of loads.

With regards to the jump squat being better: yes, at the 0% loading condition of the JS the PPO is sig higher than the PC at 80% (the load at which PPO is none sig maximised). This is because the JS circumvents the deceleration phase. HOWEVER, this will only develop movements requiring high velocities to be applied to low forces. When higher loads have been compared (50-70%) no sig differences in VGRF, PPO or RFD have been found between the JS and the PC. Therefore, shock surprise, USE BOTH.


tl;dr cliffs: Use jump squats at 0% (with PAP method) AND the mid-thigh variations of the power clean at higher loading conditions, but periodise across the spectrum.


I would reference, but I'm too lazy. Look up Cormie's work from 2007-2011 (there are about 7 papers or so relevant on PPO), Kawamori's work from 2005-2006 and Comforts work from 2010-2011 (although some of the stuff I stated is still in press or will be submitted within the next few months).