T Nation

Power Cleans Front Equivalent

#1

so, i incorporated power cleans about 1 week ago into my workouts, and all i can say is I'm absolutely shocked..

in a good way, i mean! my traps and shoulders suddenly put a very noticeable amount of beef on! also, I'm more 'aware' of my back... I can't really explain this, but its there, like the feeling that accompanies the pump... maybe its DOMS, but then it ain't sore enough for that. :confused: hmm..

also, i was stuck doing deads at 200lbs for a while: yesterday, new PR at 230lbs!! and this is after just a week of doing them..

anywho, what I wanted to know was, is there an exercise that works the front/chest muscles the way power clean(ing) works the entire back and shoulders and legs? if so, then i think I can break through all my plateaus in no time!!

#2

Push presses or clean and jerk.

#3

Dips

Gironda Dips

Planche progression on Parallettes

#4

LOL you packed on a large amount of "beef" in only 1 week?

#5

oops, i read over that... that why did i respond sigh

#6

perhaps he meant veal.

#7

ok, my bad... i forgot to mention i'm triple dosing all forms of oral/injectable/anal anabolic/hormonal/herbal/anti-catabolic substances known to man and, whats more, inhaling 3000+ calories every 8 hrs too! did i mention that i break my fast every morning with a super testosterone shake mixed with the blood of virgins? (good source of uncoupled BCAAs and has one of the best anti-oxidant profiles to boot)...

lol. cmon man, i just broke the 200lbs mark... might not be anything 'heavy' for you, but give a brother some (natural) morphine induced bragging rights! :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

Here I was, all set to congratulate you on adding power cleans to your routine, and then you go and say something ridiculous like adding beef to you shoulders in a week. sigh

However, in response to your question, try power jerks and/or split jerks. Dips, explosively as possible, on the return stroke.

I'm sure you will add pounds of beef to your chest / shoulders as well. You'll look like a brisket on a pair of toothpicks in no time!

#9

A guy who deadlifts 200lbs can very likely add a lot of noticeable size FOR THEM to their frame in a week just by flushing the muscles with blood. This is not a permanent adaption.

Original poster good on you, you have a lot of enthusiasm and I guarantee you, you CAN bust all your records. You are at the enviable early stages where you really can make massive poundage gains fast. In a year or so you will be fighting for every 5lbs increase so enjoy it while it lasts!

Note that it takes around 2-3 weeks of doing something new before your body decides it had better make a real and permanent physiological change to cope. After 3 weeks of regular power cleaning you should back off from it for 5 days or so, in fact lighten all training for a week and eat a tonne of food. Your body will continue adapting but instead of burning the calories will load them in to real permanent muscle. In fact after 1 week off you could come back and test your personal bests and you should find they have gone up.

Good luck and enjoy!

#10

thanx for the props man... should've read your post before i hit the weights today... i'll never plan on doing heavy shoulder work after doing a PR of deads from the last workout... doing lateral raises was actually making me wince today. 30 lbs dbs at that. embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe that feeling...

another q along the same lines: can one use dbs for power cleans to improve the 'form'/execution of the exercise? there seems to be a weird imbalance of strength for me, right in between the actual clean and the jerk... my arms seem to feel the burn in different areas by the time i'm done with a set...

yes?

#11

../hijack

Does anyone get wrist pain from doing cleans, or clean and jerks? I think it might be because I dont bend my knees enough on the catch... actually yea that is probably it, but incase it isn't anyone know why else this might happen?

#12

If you're getting wrist pain then you're probably not whipping your elbows through fast enough and thus catching the weight with your elbows under the bar instead of in front of it. Hard to tell without seeing the lift though.

#13

You get used to it. It's takes time to adapt just like everything.

#14

I use wraps.

#15

he loves his tube-steak...

#16

Hang on, ice, can u deadlift 200lbs, but laterally raise 30lbs for reps on each arm? If you can, proportionally, i bet those shoulders are beefy. Cool

#17

just to add to that...im right at 475lb deadlift currently (anyone can believe that or call bullshit on it, i dont care, its not the point). if i were going to do laterals, id be using 35lbs max. oh well, thats not the point either. the point that i find "odd" is that maxing on a deadlift made his shoulders so sore that lateral raises were difficult. am i missing something?

have heavy deads ever gotten in the way of anyone elses lateral raises? ive never used a trap bar, so maybe thats the difference if he is doing that?

#18

Maybe he meant 15+15=30...

#19

Deadlifts might have made his traps sore side laterals use your traps also to some degree.

#20

infact yeah that must be it because when your traps get sore they realy get sore I can see that could hurt when you do laterals.