Clean
Also known as: Barbell Clean, Squat Clean, Full Clean, BB Clean, Barbell Squat Clean, Cleans, Olympic Clean, Barbell Cleans
Body region
Muscles
Main
Helps
Holds
Equipment
Technique
- Stand with the bar over the middle of the foot and grip it just outside the knees.
- Lift the bar off the floor with a flat back, keeping it close to the legs.
- As it passes the thighs, extend hips, knees and ankles explosively and shrug.
- Pull yourself under the bar into a front squat, elbows whipping forward to catch it on the shoulders.
- Stand up out of the squat with the bar in the front rack.
Cues
- Learn it with an empty bar or a technique bar under a coach.
- Keep the bar close to the body the whole way up.
- Use bumper plates so a missed lift can be dropped safely.
Common mistakes
- Pulling early with the arms.
- Letting the bar swing away from the body.
- Catching with the elbows down, so the bar lands on the wrists.