Power Clean Form Check

Back could be straighter (i spent way too long at the bottom), but other than that I’m not sure how to improve. Criticism welcome!

A few things I noticed:
-your back is rounded right as you pick the weight up off the floor- maintain a tight back
-the bar should stay closer to your body- it drifts out too far from you
-shrug hard upwards instead of pulling with your arms- arm bend is noticable
-you come up on your toes too early- finish the pull more

You need to bend those knees,then stand up.Your not tryin to fling it up.When you clear your knees,snatch,and bend.You may"jump" a little,but thats good.The more you use those legs the more weight you can handle.The lower you are,the less the weight has to travel.If that makes sense.

Ahh, the classic stiff leg deadlift/upright row/reverse curl complex. One of my favorites. :wink:

Seriously, though: Agree with Viking: First, bend your knees. Then, remember that there are two pulls in a power clean. You first pick the weight up off the floor (should look more like a squat than a deadlift) until the bar reaches your knees. Then you need to push your knees and hips forward and your shoulders back to get your back much more upright. Then from there you do the second pull, which is more like a “jump shrug”. After that the weight will be flying!

Watch this video: Power Clean - YouTube
It’s subtle, but you can see the shift between the first and second pull.

You can also look here:

00:45-00:50

The girl on toddthebod’s video has good form, but I think she didn’t do the first pull perfectly and hurried into the second pull, because the weight is too light for her :slight_smile:

A few points to add to what’s been said above:

  • Turn your elbows so they run along the bar.
  • The bar path should be like a flattened S - it should move towards you as soon as it leaves the floor, then it will move away slightly as it makes contact with the thighs, then back in again.
  • Big chest and flex your lats before you lift off, then as soon as the bar passes your knees use your lats to pull the bar in towards you. It should make contact with your thighs no lower than halfway up. Don’t use your arms - keep them relaxed.
  • Don’t wait around at the top for the bar to get high enough to rack. Pull under it hard and block it hard.
  • Be aggressive. Extend hard and up, rack it hard, block it hard. Be in control of the bar.

Here’s a nice solid power clean: Little A 142.5 Power Jerk - YouTube

[quote]mldj wrote:
You can also look here:

00:45-00:50

The girl on toddthebod’s video has good form, but I think she didn’t do the first pull perfectly and hurried into the second pull, because the weight is too light for her :)[/quote]

Looks like sound advice to me! “Try to lift more like Pyrros Dimas.”

Reminds me of my hammer throwing days. “Coach, how did that last throw look?”
“Fine, but try to throw it farther next time.”

Thanks guys.

Any advice on the second pull and the shrug at the top?

When I was doing this I wasn’t even aware that I was bending my arms- I was relying totally on my leg drive, I just couldn’t coordinate any kind of shrug fast enough.

I am far from an expert so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Personally I think you should work on mastering power cleans from the hang before you even think about doing them from the floor.

[quote]IronAbrams wrote:
Thanks guys.

Any advice on the second pull and the shrug at the top?

When I was doing this I wasn’t even aware that I was bending my arms- I was relying totally on my leg drive, I just couldn’t coordinate any kind of shrug fast enough. [/quote]

This thread I started a few months ago has some good advice on teaching yourself reach full extension on the second pull.
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1890849