- Set up like a deadlift, push the floor away, and keep the bar close all the way up.
- The power comes from a violent extension of hips, knees and ankles, not from your arms.
- Pull yourself under the bar and catch it with high elbows in a quarter squat.
- Keep reps low and quality high; this is a speed lift, not an endurance one.
- Level
- Advanced
- Trains
- Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves, Traps and upper back, Core
- Kit
- Barbell, Bumper plates
What the power clean trains and why it is worth doing
The power clean trains your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves to produce force quickly, while your upper back, traps and core work hard to keep the bar close and your spine in a strong position. It develops power, meaning strength expressed fast, which helps with sprinting, jumping and any sport that needs explosive movement.
It also teaches coordination and timing under a bar. Because the weight has to travel fast, you cannot grind it up the way you might a deadlift, and that makes it a very different training stimulus from slow strength work.
How to do a power clean
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your foot. Grip just outside your legs, using a hook grip if you have learned it.
- Set your back flat, chest up, shoulders slightly in front of the bar and arms straight. Take a breath and brace.
- First pull: push the floor away with your legs, keeping your back angle the same, until the bar passes your knees.
- Second pull: as the bar reaches mid-thigh, extend your hips, knees and ankles explosively, keeping the bar close to your body. Your arms stay long until your legs have finished.
- Shrug and pull yourself under the bar, whipping your elbows around quickly so they point forwards.
- Catch the bar on your shoulders in a quarter squat with your elbows high, then stand up tall to finish the rep.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms early. Bending your elbows before your hips have extended robs you of power. Your arms are ropes until the legs finish.
- Bar drifting away. If the bar swings out in front, you have to chase it forwards. Keep it brushing your thighs.
- Hips shooting up first. If your hips rise faster than your shoulders off the floor, the load shifts onto your lower back.
- Catching with low elbows. This drives the bar into your wrists and can hurt. Get your elbows through fast.
- Jumping forwards. Landing well in front of where you started usually means the bar was too far from your body.
Easier and harder versions
The power clean has a lot of moving parts, so most coaches teach it in pieces. To make it easier:
- Start with the hang clean from above the knee, which removes the trickiest part of the lift.
- Practise clean pulls and high pulls to groove the extension without the catch.
- Use dumbbell or kettlebell cleans to learn the rhythm with less load.
To make it harder, progress to the full squat clean, where you catch the bar in a deep front squat, or combine cleans with other lifts in a barbell complex.
How to programme the power clean
Keep reps low, typically 4 to 6 sets of 2 to 3 reps, with 2 to 3 minutes of rest. Choose a weight you can move fast and cleanly on every rep; if the bar slows down or your technique changes, it is too heavy. Put cleans early in the session, after your warm-up and before heavy strength work, while you are fresh.
Once or twice a week is plenty. The guide to Olympic lifting vs powerlifting explains how lifts like this compare with slower strength work.
At Lycan Strength, coaches scale every class to the person, so the Full Body and Lower classes are a sensible place to build the strength behind it; the class timetable lists the times.
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Questions
Is the power clean safe for beginners?
It can be, with good coaching and light loads. Most beginners should build a solid deadlift and front squat first, then learn the clean from the hang before pulling from the floor.
What is the difference between a power clean and a squat clean?
In a power clean you catch the bar above a parallel squat. In a squat clean you drop into a full front squat to catch it, which allows heavier weights but needs more mobility.
Why do my wrists hurt when I clean?
Usually because your elbows are low in the catch, so the bar lands on your hands instead of your shoulders. Relax your grip slightly in the rack, get your elbows through faster, and see a physio if [wrist pain](/physiotherapy/conditions/wrist-pain/) persists.
General guidance for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, injury or are pregnant, check with a health professional before changing your training or diet.
