Power clean
Also called barbell power clean.
What is a power clean?
A power clean lifts a barbell from the platform to the front of your shoulders, receiving it in a partial squat with the hip crease above the top of the knees. Stand tall to finish. “Power” describes receiving depth, not whether the lift starts from the floor or a hang.
How do you perform a power clean?
Set up
- Use bumper plates on a platform where dropping the bar is permitted. Leave the landing area clear and practice releasing a missed lift with a coach before adding weight.
- Stand with the bar over your midfoot and take a grip just outside your legs. Bend your knees and hips, brace your trunk and set your shoulders slightly ahead of the bar.
Execution
- Lift the bar from the floor with your arms long, keeping it close as it passes your knees.
- As the bar reaches your upper thighs, push forcefully through the floor and extend your legs and hips. Move under the rising bar rather than trying to curl or slowly press it up.
- Turn your elbows forward and meet the bar in a supported front rack as you bend into a partial squat. Receive with the hip crease above the top of the knees, then establish balance.
- Once stable, stand fully upright. Return the bar to the platform using the controlled return or safe release you have practiced, then reset your stance and grip for another repetition.
Common mistakes
Pulling with the arms too soon
Keep the elbows straight through the initial drive, then move under the rising bar.
Receiving the bar without balance
Use a weight you can meet over your feet. Reset instead of taking several steps to chase the bar.
Confusing the receiving position with the start
Power describes a higher catch; hang describes an off-floor start. Record both details when you log a combined variation.
Where it fits in a session
Practice this near the start of the session, after your planned warm-up and before tiring assistance work.
Start light and use short sets. Stop when receiving depth changes or you lose the selected starting position. Increase the load only while you can repeat the same movement.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Variations
Frequently asked questions
Does power mean I should pull harder?
The word names the receiving depth. Drive decisively, but choose a load you can receive above parallel without jumping forward or losing the bar.
Should every repetition touch the floor?
This guide starts each power repetition from the floor. You can train from a hang, but record that change as a different variation.
Can I use a hook grip?
You can practice a hook grip with a light bar and a coach. The grip should hold the bar securely during the pull without preventing the receiving position.