Clean (from floor)
Bodyweight Strength - The Clean is one of the most classic lifts in existence and this move has been performed by strongmen and Olympic athletes to develop functional bodyweight strength for well over a century. The Clean trains the body to utilize strength and power from the legs and transfer it up through the torso so that it can be sent out in any direction for any athletic purpose. This is what makes the Clean such a favorite exercise for so many sports performance training programs worldwide.
To perform the Clean you should have bumper plates and a sturdy lifting platform that you can drop weights onto without worrying about damaging it. Load a barbell with the desired weight, set it on the floor on the platform, and step up to the barbell as though you are going to perform a Deadlift, except that for the Clean you will not use the over/under hand grip (for the Clean you will use an overhand grip).
Once you have assumed the starting position, begin to stand up with the weight (as though performing a Deadlift), making sure to keep your chest high and your upper back arched strongly. When the bar clears your knees and you reach the "power position", push you feet into the floor as hard as you can to generate all of the strength and power your legs and hips can possibly create and as the momentum of this power travels up from your legs through your hips, and into your torso you will shrug your shoulders forcefully to carry this momentum all the way out the top end of your body. This will cause the bar to rapidly fly directly upwards (much like a whip snaps rapidly out with all the force coming out of the end of it when your arm pops the whip while only holding the handle - the power travels through the whip and all rapidly, comes out through the end).
Once you have transferred all of this power up through your body and the bar has been thrown upward as a result of all of this force transfer, you will instantly drop into a Front Squat position and catch the bar on the front of your shoulders. It is important to hold your elbows up high and let your fingers lie loosely under the bar as its full weight actually sits on your shoulders rather than being held with your hands. If you fail to do this, you can severely injure your wrists from the force of the heavy weight coming down on them in this moment. Learning the let the hands loose at the right moment can be difficult and scary to learn, however if you have a good lifting platform, bumper plates, and a good coach to guide you then mastering this concept will not be as difficult as it seems at first.
Once you have firmly "caught" the bar in the Front Squat position, stand up exactly as you would when performing a regular Front Squat. Once you have stood up completely you can simply drop the weight to the ground and then step back up to the bar for the next rep in the set.
The importance of a good coach cannot be overemphasized in regard to Clean and all of the other classic lifts of Olympic Style Weightlifting and their component lifts such as the Power Clean, Power Snatch, Snatch from the Blocks, Jerk, etc, etc. Do not attempt these lifts unless you have proper equipment, a good coach, and excellent flexibility, coordination, and strength. These are upper level lifts and should be treated with serious respect and prudence.
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com
To perform the Clean you should have bumper plates and a sturdy lifting platform that you can drop weights onto without worrying about damaging it. Load a barbell with the desired weight, set it on the floor on the platform, and step up to the barbell as though you are going to perform a Deadlift, except that for the Clean you will not use the over/under hand grip (for the Clean you will use an overhand grip).
Once you have assumed the starting position, begin to stand up with the weight (as though performing a Deadlift), making sure to keep your chest high and your upper back arched strongly. When the bar clears your knees and you reach the "power position", push you feet into the floor as hard as you can to generate all of the strength and power your legs and hips can possibly create and as the momentum of this power travels up from your legs through your hips, and into your torso you will shrug your shoulders forcefully to carry this momentum all the way out the top end of your body. This will cause the bar to rapidly fly directly upwards (much like a whip snaps rapidly out with all the force coming out of the end of it when your arm pops the whip while only holding the handle - the power travels through the whip and all rapidly, comes out through the end).
Once you have transferred all of this power up through your body and the bar has been thrown upward as a result of all of this force transfer, you will instantly drop into a Front Squat position and catch the bar on the front of your shoulders. It is important to hold your elbows up high and let your fingers lie loosely under the bar as its full weight actually sits on your shoulders rather than being held with your hands. If you fail to do this, you can severely injure your wrists from the force of the heavy weight coming down on them in this moment. Learning the let the hands loose at the right moment can be difficult and scary to learn, however if you have a good lifting platform, bumper plates, and a good coach to guide you then mastering this concept will not be as difficult as it seems at first.
Once you have firmly "caught" the bar in the Front Squat position, stand up exactly as you would when performing a regular Front Squat. Once you have stood up completely you can simply drop the weight to the ground and then step back up to the bar for the next rep in the set.
The importance of a good coach cannot be overemphasized in regard to Clean and all of the other classic lifts of Olympic Style Weightlifting and their component lifts such as the Power Clean, Power Snatch, Snatch from the Blocks, Jerk, etc, etc. Do not attempt these lifts unless you have proper equipment, a good coach, and excellent flexibility, coordination, and strength. These are upper level lifts and should be treated with serious respect and prudence.
Disclaimer - We do not recommend performing any exercise without the supervision of a highly qualified bodyweight strength professional present with you. This detailed exercise description is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before attempting any strength training program or attempting this exercise or any of the other exercises on www.bodyweight-strength.com