Olympic weightlifting is a very technique-heavy style of lifting that can seem super overwhelming to beginners, but can also be one of the most fun and rewarding skills to develop.
Olympic weightlifting encompasses two different lifts known as the Snatch, and the Clean and Jerk. Today we are discussing the Clean, which is taking a barbell from the floor to your shoulders. The next part of the lift is the jerk, which is then taking the barbell from your shoulders, and pressing it up over your head.
The Clean involves three different positions that you need to nail down in order to optimize power and strength in this movement. These positions, from the top down, are the power position, the hang, and the low hang.
The power position is achieved by holding the barbell approximately shoulder width apart, unlocking or bending the knees slightly, and then moving your shoulders over the bar to get into a slight hip hinge. You should feel the posterior chain turn on in all of these positions! From there you will get to the hang by dragging the barbell down the quads until it is right above the knee. Your shoulders should remain over the bar here. From there, you will slide the bar down once more until it is at the mid-shin level. This is where your hips will drop slightly but should still remain in a hip hinge pattern.
There are two different pulls involved in the clean, the first being the initial pull from the ground, and the second being after the bar hits the power position in order to transition it to the shoulders.
The “clean pull” is a commonly used warm-up exercise or drill for the full movement, in which you perform both pulls and practice getting the elbows up high and keeping the bar close without actually performing the catch. Some common mistakes I often see with my athletes involving the clean are as follows:
1) Not keeping the bar close – avoid hitting the power position, and then letting the bar rainbow out in front of you before catching it on your shoulders. This decreases optimal power and explosiveness, and ultimately will cause you to jump forward and chase the bar in order to catch it OR will cause you to miss the lift all together.
2) Not hitting triple extension – Triple extension is the act of extending your hips, knees, and ankles all at the same time. This happens immediately following hitting the power position and is vital for performing this lift well. What often happens is the athlete will rush the movement and try to sneak under the barbell before hitting the full triple extension position. Triple extension = power = heavy lifts, don’t rush it!
3) Not actively pulling the barbell to the shoulders. A common complaint of new Olympic weightlifters is pain/bruising on the collar bones or anterior shoulders. This can be minimized by not pulling the bar so high that it then has to crash down onto your shoulders. Keep your shoulders active throughout the pull and focus on pulling the barbell straight to the shoulders. If this is your problem, you are anticipating the weight to be heavier than it actually is, causing you to pull the bar harder and higher than necessary – do less!
4) Making the movement too quad-dominated. Whether you are performing a power clean or a squat clean, you want to perform them with your hips back in the catch. This will let you recruit the posterior chain such as the quads and hamstrings. I always tell my athletes that you want to pretend you are going to squat at the end of the movement, even if you aren’t. You typically wouldn’t initiate a squat by shooting your knees forward, so don’t clean that way either!
If you’re an athlete struggling with Olympic lifts and needing some more specific cues, or you are fighting through a nagging injury that may be holding you back, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Mission Move Physical therapy. We are here to help you optimize your health and athletic performance! Call/text: 678-400-0300. Or visit www.missionmovept.com.
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