Intro:
· The “Clean Series” will delve into
this Olympic lift through the eyes of a lifter en route to becoming a scholar. We
will be discussing a broad spectrum of faults and misnomers, along with
tried-and-true cues and corrective exercises that can be used for yourself, or
your athletes. The clean is an excellent tool for any trainer or rehab
specialist alike to build explosiveness, dynamic power, jumping and landing
mechanics, and fast-twitch muscle activation in athletes/patients. If you are
looking to add some tools to the tool belt this series is for you!
Video 1 – “All Things First Pull”:
·
When considering the concept of stability before mobility during movement, the
squat clean is no exception. If a movement begins in a stable manner, more
often than not the rest of the sequence will fall into place.
In the setup of the squat clean: the
athlete’s gaze should be focused on a single point along the horizon with the
head in neutral; the bar and athlete’s weight should begin over the midfoot;
the shoulders should be above the level of the hips and slightly in front of
the bar; and the back creates a stable arch – all prior to initiating the first pull of the clean (i.e. initial
separation of ground and weight). Here we use slow-mo to identify a proper
first pull vs. a faulty one. Once initiated, the torso and hips should raise in
one accord, with the angle of the back remaining fairly constant throughout the
lift.
Common faults seen in beginner and
intermediate lifters set-ups include, but are not limited to: the shoulders
remaining behind the bar, the athlete’s hips being set too low causing improper
hamstring tension, and a kyphotic/rounded posture in the thoracic spine. All of
these faults can potentiate the athlete’s hips rising first. This position will
predispose a lift with the back, rather than their full posterior chain. When
considering the Olympic lifts, think of your back as the lever for the weight, not the
lifter.
Clean pulls are a great tool to
utilize proper initiating mechanics, and should be prescribed at the latter end
of a lifting session in the ball park of 1x5 (95%), 1x5 (100%), 2x5 (105%) of
their max squat clean.
Now that we have established a
frame of correctness for what to look out for with the full clean, parts 2-4
will break the lift down segmentally. Remember, if you or your athlete is
trying to improve their clean with a poor first pull, it will be like building
a house upon sand…not stable.
Video 2 – “From the Knee to the Hip”:
·
The “Second Pull” of the clean is comprised of
the bar position from the knees to hip extension. Beginners having trouble with the concept of
the “hip hinge,” Olympic lifters who tend to let the bar drift away from their
body, or CrossFitters who are having issues stringing together reps, this is
for you.
With a properly initiated squat
clean AND hang clean, there should be virtually no mechanical change in the
angle of the back, with the shoulders remaining slightly over the bar and
slightly higher than the hips. This arched back position creates a powerful
lever that allows the bar to “whip” once the bar meets hips a.k.a. the
launching position. If you notice in the
first clip, as the bar launches from the hip position, the knees are bent, this
action is known as the “double knee bend.” This whip is facilitated by a transfer
of energy from the posterior chain to the quads, and actuates at the launch due
to the double bending of the knee.
In the second clip, there is
minimal to no double knee bend, which will cause decreased power and more often
than not, a separation of the bar from the body. This can cause a faulty
catching position, which at higher loads will result in a loss of thoracic
extension, and the athlete will bail the bar forward.
The concept of neuromuscular
re-education in the physical therapy world involves a slow eccentric movement,
followed by an isometric hold, and finishing with an explosive concentric
contraction. In the third clip, I perform a hang squat clean from below the
knee, with a 2-3 count eccentric descent, a 2 second pause just below the knee,
and explosive extension upward. The athlete should focus on sending the hips
back, and maintaining the position of their back. This is a great tool to both
reinforce proper mechanics and retrain faulty movement. This position can be
further expounded upon by utilizing the bent over row (w/ the shoulder blades
locked down and in), where removing the movements degrees of freedom allows for
the athlete/coach to build brute strength.
Video 3 – “Keep the bar close with: Hook Grip”:
· An LSU powerlifting coach once told me to think
of my arms as nothing more than a hook and lever when deadlifting the bar, and
I think the same holds true when performing the clean.
For those who are somewhat inexperienced in
the ways of explosively accelerating their body, the clean can cause the novice
to attempt to muscle the bar to the shoulders by flexing the elbow PRIOR to
completing full extension. Coach Hatch always says, “When the arms bend, the
power ends.” This mantra holds true in ~98% of the population, but there are
always exceptions when considering athletic adaptation (i.e. My slight jump
backwards after extension).
A faulty start may cause an early
arm bend in an effort to get the bar to the hip faster to make up for lost time
and speed, which can also lead to the athlete completely missing the power
position. Seen here is an early arm bend into a muted hip in order to rush
under the bar. This can cause the athlete to bang the bar off the thighs,
rather scooping/sweeping the bar into the hip with elbows extended while
maintaining tension as the bar reaches the hips.
To facilitate elbow extension, we
need to turn on the triceps, and relax the biceps. This is best done by using
the “hook grip,” which will relax the grip and help the athlete differentiate
the clean from what could potentially turn into really fast curl to
upright-row. @brucebarbell’s cue for pointing the knuckles down is a fantastic
way to rev-up the triceps, and inhibit the biceps.
A corrective exercise to really
drive this home is a sequential clean pull from below the knee – above the knee
– and ending at the hip in order to train the athlete to keep the bar close and
rely on hip extension as the primary mover, NOT the arms. As with most
relationships, a crushing grip will never produce the results we want, rather
loosen your grip and let the rest happen. Your relationship with the clean is
no different.
Video 4 – “Flex[ed] and you Shall Receive”:
· The archetype of virtually every movement where
we are either producing a force or receiving a force involves a flexed hip
position. This concept most definitely holds true when catching a barbell. Many
a time I’ve seen athletes’ form breakdown past 90% of their max lifts. Many I
time they will cut their movement short, and rush under the bar. Cueing the
athlete “think power” often remedies this problem by giving them the gusto
necessary to achieve full extension, receive the weight, and THEN ride it down
into the squat.
There are two common faults I see
with the catch. The first being a catch with the knees forward and hips
extended, which may stem from poor motor control or a weak anterior core which
cause the hip to remain flexed and the thoracic to overextend in compensation.
The second being the “bar dive” where the athlete will rush under the bar and
begin their descent into the squat BEFORE making contact with the bar. At
higher loads this can cause an unsafe bottom out, improper hand placement that
can over-torque the wrist, or cause your upper back to mash-potatoes leading to
a miss forward.
A classic Hatch-method that I have
found to be especially effective in building both athlete confidence, power and
proper bar receiving technique is the Top-to-Bottom clean. It is performed by
building up to 80% of the athlete’s 1 rep max, and will reinforce that
regardless of where the bar begins in space, landing with the knees bent and a
slightly flexed hip will properly distribute the weight of the bar and act as a
precursor-squatting position. Receive the bar, meet the bar, but do not just
simply catch it.
If you can power clean the bar from
the hip, you can surely hit 80% of your 1 RM any day of the week, whether fresh
or exhausted, as long as you believe in what your body knows to be true. Trust
your technique, believe in what you are doing, and happy lifting.
S/o to @djhousebrother for all the
help filming!
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