Power Cleans/Hang Cleans

are cleans in the same category of lifts as deadlift and squat? i’m asking because it’s one of my favorite lifts for my upper back and i’d love to keep it as a staple, but dont want to overload my back you know? also, if i do squat lunges instead of balls-out back squats is it alright for me to do these 3x week? i just feeling all the weight ripping apart a single leg at a time.

I do them as a warm up to the squats/deadlifts. They are power exercises and need to be done when you are fresh. Most people do them with less weight than the slow lifts so they do make a good warmup. Do them every workout and enjoy yourself. I do a clean variation followed by a squat variation every workout. I just vary the intensity from workout to workout by the selection of the exercise.

Stu

yeah one day i’ll do hang cleans, kinda isolates the upper back a lil more, other days i’ll do full power cleans and i think on my other day i’ll combine them with my push-press for my shoulders and just do the clean and press…

it’s funny because i’ll do the first set with my sweatshirt on and everybody just gawks because i’m the only one that cleans… then i take off the s/s so thye can see my huge 15" arms while i clean/front squat 185(which is not heavy at all, but they dont know that)