Power Clean

How to do it

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the barbell just outside your legs. Pull the bar from the ground by extending your hips and knees explosively, keeping the bar close to your body. Shrug your shoulders and pull yourself underneath the bar, catching it at shoulder height in a partial squat position. Stand up to finish the lift.

1. 1Start with a flat back and drive through your legs to generate power, feeling your hips and glutes extending explosively
2. 2Shrug and pull yourself under the bar, catching it on your shoulders with elbows high
3. 3You should feel the movement chain from your legs to your upper back, not just your arms

Common mistakes

• ×Don't pull with your arms too soon or round your back off the floor
• ×Avoid catching the bar with your elbows down or wrists bent back, hit a solid front rack
• ×Don't allow your knees to collapse inward or your heels to lift during the pull

Muscles worked

The power clean mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the forearms, upper traps, quads, front delts, upper abs, calves, and side delts assisting.

• GlutesPrimary
• Lower BackPrimary
• HamstringsPrimary
• ForearmsSupport
• Upper TrapsSupport
• QuadsSupport
• Front DeltsSupport
• Upper AbsSupport
• CalvesSupport
• Side DeltsSupport
• Lower TrapsMinor