Power Clean
Also known as: Barbell Power Clean, BB Power Clean, Power Cleans, Power Clean from Floor
Body region
Muscles
Main
- Gluteus Maximus
- Rectus Femoris
- Vastus Lateralis
- Vastus Medialis
- Vastus Intermedius
- Biceps Femoris
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
Helps
Holds
Equipment
Technique
- Stand with the bar over mid-foot, feet hip-width apart, and grip just outside your knees with a flat back.
- Lift the bar off the floor by pushing with the legs, keeping your back angle and the bar close.
- When the bar passes mid-thigh, extend your hips, knees and ankles explosively and shrug.
- Pull yourself under the bar and catch it on the front of your shoulders with elbows high, in a quarter squat.
- Stand up, then lower the bar to the thighs and to the floor under control.
Cues
- Bar stays close to the body all the way up.
- Arms stay long until the hips have fully extended.
- Learn it with an empty bar or with a coach before adding weight; use bumper plates on a platform.
Common mistakes
- Pulling early with the arms.
- Swinging the bar away from the body.
- Catching with low elbows or a rounded back.