Hey guys, as I’m just trying to get the basics down for the power clean, I’ve just been using dowel wood to practice with at home, however i can’t seem to get my elbows up high enough and have the bar in place properly… any suggestions??
Thanks.
[quote]jake_richardson wrote:
I’ve just been using dowel wood to practice with at home[/quote]
I’ve always found it hard to get the right groove with dowels/PVC, even though that’s a very popular method. I believe some kind of resistance offers more feedback and lets you feel the movement better, rather than the unweighted dowel flying around. Try using the bar for just one or two reps at a time.
If you don’t have a barbell at home, either practice a few sets of singles at the start of each training session in the gym (like as part of your general warm-up) or see if there’s anything heavier than the dowel you could use at home - a shovel, rake, whatever. (Those are obviously unbalanced, so you wouldn’t do the whole clean, just work the rack position. “Reverse curl” it if you have to and then just drive the elbows up).
Can you touch your fingertips to the same arm’s shoulder?
(Like this but keeping the elbows facing front, not sideways):
Also, check your shoulder mobility with this stretch. See how close you can get your hands:
If you can nail those two pretty well, there “should” be no real structural issue causing a problem racking the bar. It’s likely an issue of practice. Also, in addition to trying to get “elbows up”, make sure your upper back is tight. The easiest way to do that is to focus on getting your chest up. If the chest is caved in and/or the upper back isn’t pulled back tight, it won’t matter where your elbows are.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
[quote]jake_richardson wrote:
I’ve just been using dowel wood to practice with at home[/quote]
I’ve always found it hard to get the right groove with dowels/PVC, even though that’s a very popular method. I believe some kind of resistance offers more feedback and lets you feel the movement better, rather than the unweighted dowel flying around. Try using the bar for just one or two reps at a time.
If you don’t have a barbell at home, either practice a few sets of singles at the start of each training session in the gym (like as part of your general warm-up) or see if there’s anything heavier than the dowel you could use at home - a shovel, rake, whatever. (Those are obviously unbalanced, so you wouldn’t do the whole clean, just work the rack position. “Reverse curl” it if you have to and then just drive the elbows up).
Can you touch your fingertips to the same arm’s shoulder?
(Like this but keeping the elbows facing front, not sideways):
Also, check your shoulder mobility with this stretch. See how close you can get your hands:
If you can nail those two pretty well, there “should” be no real structural issue causing a problem racking the bar. It’s likely an issue of practice. Also, in addition to trying to get “elbows up”, make sure your upper back is tight. The easiest way to do that is to focus on getting your chest up. If the chest is caved in and/or the upper back isn’t pulled back tight, it won’t matter where your elbows are.[/quote]
Great thanks for the reply, i have been treating my forearms, triceps, rear delts, and lats. using a foam roller