Teaching the Power Clean, and
Some Safe & Effective Alternatives
Chris D.Wood, M.Ed., CSCS
Strength & Conditioning Coordinator
Assistant Track & Field Coach
Pacific Lutheran University
woodcd@plu.edu
Outline
• Why are you doing them
• Pre-requisites (get them strong first)
• Equipment
– Med-Balls
– Dumbbells
• Clean
– Technical /Coaching cues
Why… Force Velocity Curve
• It’s not about big weight
• Movement Speed
• Highest Power outputs are produced at 3080% of 1-RM
• Train Movements, not exercises
• Full ROM, total body, athletic lifts
• Med Balls, Dumbbells, Barbells, Tires,
Sledge Hammers
Force Velocity Curve
Velocity
Load
Why…Power Output
LIFT
SUBJECT
POWER (Watts)
Bench Press
Novice 60%
481
Novice 85%
366
Novice 100%
247
Heavy Elite 93%
1259
Heavy Elite
900
Light Elite 95%
2821
Light Elite
2675
Heavy Elite
3877
Heavy Elite
3413
Squat
Snatch
Clean
The numbers for the clean speak for themselves
Why… Cont.
• Hopefully not just because others are doing
them!!!
Prerequisites
• Master the basic lifts first
– Can your athletes:
•
•
•
•
Back Squat
Front Squat
Deadlift
Bench Press
• Where is their core strength?
– Have they been training the core standing or lying on
their backs?
• Standing abdominal exercises
• Standing low back exercises
• Standing rotational exercises/oblique
Prerequisites… Cont.
• A safe place to lift explosively
• Where to start after basic strength is
achieved?
– Med Ball similar to Olympic Lifts
– Box Jumps
– Loaded Jumps
Prerequisites… Cont.
• Olympic variations with dumbbells
– Teach triple extension first
• DB Push Press
• DB Split Jerk
• Move on to larger variations with strength athletes
working from the floor, and speed athletes working
from athletic position
– Speed DB Clean from the hang position
– Strength DB Snatch from the floor (power position)
Prerequisites… Cont.
•
•
•
•
Athletes must MASTER athletic position
Feet square and under the hips
Lower leg is perpendicular to the ground
Hips are behind the knee with weight shifted slightly to the
posterior (toe wiggle)
• Back is flat, butt is down, chin is pushed forward, and the
chest is up
• Shoulders are pulled back slightly with the arms hanging
slightly back (elbows should be locked and turned out)
• The arms will be angled back from the shoulder to the top
of the knee.
Prerequisites… Cont.
Hand Placement
Foot Placement
Power Position
Hang Position
Prerequisites… Cont
• The first pull is started with the hips… don’t let them pull with
the back or elbows first. Work the hips back and the chest up.
• The second pull is the explosive pull… the bar gets to the knee,
the hips are pushed through and the back is forcefully extended
(high hamstring tension)
• Hip drive will create a large amount of momentum on the bar
– Use this momentum to shrug and pull the weight to the sternum
area (bar can get away here)
• Once the weight has run out of momentum the athlete will
quickly pull their body under the bar, catching it on their
shoulders… punch the elbows up to the ceiling
Terms
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•
•
•
•
•
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Olympic Clean (Squat Clean)
Power Clean
Power Position
Hang Position
Mid-Thigh Position
Rack Position (catch)
Below Knee
Equipment
• Rubber Mat
– Plywood
– Platform
• Bumper Plates
• Quality Bar
– Not bent
– Collar Spin
• Open Floor Space
– 12’x12’
Olympic Movements with
Barbell
• Work from the bottom up when coaching these
movements
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–
–
–
–
–
Standard Base Deadlift
Power Clean Pull/Hang Clean Pull/Mid Thigh Pull
Power High Pull/Hang High Pull/ Mid-Thigh High Pull
Front Squat
Power Clean/Hang Clean/Mid-Thigh Clean
Power Snatch Pull/Hang Snatch Pull/Mid-Thigh Snatch
Pull
Supplemental Olympic
Movements
• Push Press (in front, from the rack)
• Split Jerk (in front, from the rack)
– Coach these if you eventually want to work up
to advanced combination lifts
• Front Squat+Push Press
• Hang Clean+Front Squat
Pulling the Bar
• Foot, ankle, knee, hip
• Tension (arms locked, chin out, shoulders
out front)
• Chest rises at the same rate has the hip
• Bar is pulled tight up towards the shin
• Bar pulled from the knee to the sternum by
driving the hip joint forward
• Finish the movement by shrugging the
shoulders (pull, high pull, rack)
Racking the Bar
• Grip width… essential to a proper rack
– Roughly 24”, or split between the deltoid
• Keeping the bar tight to the body
– Circular path (reverse curl) is not desired
• Drop the hips (not bend the knee)
• As the hips drop, the heels “HIT” the floor
• Simultaneously the elbows are punched to
the ceiling
Racking the Bar???
• You are training athletes… not lifters
• Triple extension is key in 90% of sports
– Looking for ankle, knee, hip, and moving
external loads quickly
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•
•
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Hang Pulls
Power Pulls
Pull with a release
Push Press
Racking the Bar???
Racking the Bar???
Workout Structure
EXERCISE
%
SETS
REPS
Med Balls
----
2-6
3-10
DB Variations
15-40lbs
2-6
3-6
Clean Variations
50%
2-6
6
----
60%
2-6
5
----
70%
2-6
4
----
80%
2-6
1-3
Hang/Power Pulls
80%
2-6
1-3
90%
2-6
1-2