Clean Critique

Just looking for some observations on my clean form. My 2nd pull is early, but I’m not sure how to fix it. Any input on my starting position would be helpful as well.

Here is a power clean

Lower the weight and show us a successful clean.

[quote]johnvg wrote:
Here is a power clean[/quote]

Main issue I see is that your not keeping the bar close enough throughout first pull which results in your weight being too far forward in second pull.
Try shifting your centre of mass to the heels as the bar approaches knees, this should aid sweeping the bar towards the hips and help you rack the weight better.

What I would say is you are certainly capable of more weight as keeping it closer has a funny effect of making the bar feel much lighter :wink:

Gogetit pretty much nailed the biggest problem with your clean, in my opinion. I don’t do a lot of full cleans, but I do a good amount of front squats, and it frankly just looks like you’re bailing on the squat because it feels heavy.

Keeping the weight close will help, but have you ever tried just not being a little bitch with the squat? You drop the weight after a grand total of two inches.

If it’s too much weight, then it’s too much weight.
If it’s not too much weight, then actually try to lift the weight. Don’t just give up when the bar doesn’t fly up. Give it the old college try; give a grunt if you have to.

100 kilo clean was yours but leg strength was not there!

[quote]Obisidian wrote:
Gogetit pretty much nailed the biggest problem with your clean, in my opinion. I don’t do a lot of full cleans, but I do a good amount of front squats, and it frankly just looks like you’re bailing on the squat because it feels heavy.

Keeping the weight close will help, but have you ever tried just not being a little bitch with the squat? You drop the weight after a grand total of two inches.

If it’s too much weight, then it’s too much weight.
If it’s not too much weight, then actually try to lift the weight. Don’t just give up when the bar doesn’t fly up. Give it the old college try; give a grunt if you have to.[/quote]

So you agree with me but he’s being a bitch!? If you ever did heavier cleans, like close to what you front squat you would know that if the bar is out front you will likely fail the lift.

to the OP…
Do not give it the old college try. reduce the weight and work on technique - staying over the bar, keeping it close (heels), delaying that second pull just a little and last but not least, finishing that second pull - like you did in the powerclean

I would say that the reason you missed the lift is the timing is wrong in the clean. You apply much more force than you need to the bar. In the second clip, the bar even leaves the screen. :slight_smile: Then it comes down to smash your ass into the ground.

There is a strong correlation between how good a lifter will do, and the distance the bar will “fall” before being caught. Both in the snatch and clean.

So what do you do about this? Well. A great revelation for me was that you cannot think yourself into lifting better. The explosive part of the lift is over in what, 1 second? You need to do the right drills.

Start doing cleans from a completely standing up position. Work the timing in. The timing que is “when the bar is in it’s highest position, I will sit just under with my elbows up and catch it”.

When you got that. Progress down to start at the middle of your thigh. Keep doing it until you have the timing in your spine. Then go down to just above the knee. Same thing.

Lastly, do the full clean, and use a perfect timing every time.

And whatever you do, never, fucking ever lift in front of a mirror. You want to feel how the perfect lift feels. Don’t let your eyes take over.