It’s Technique Tuesday where we talk about a movement we’re doing tomorrow, WHY we’re doing it, and other fun facts and tips about it!
Movement: Clean
Description: Lift the bar from the ground to the shoulders in one fluid motion.
Primary Movement Pattern:
Physical Skills Developed:
Tips, Tricks, and Fun Facts: The clean is a powerful and versatile movement that we use to develop a long list of athletic skills. It is a fundamental functional movement to lift a load from the ground to the shoulders in a fluid and explosive motion.
The clean builds full body strength, power, coordination, balance, speed, agility, flexibility, and accuracy. We also use several variations of the clean to reinforce technique or workout around mobility limitations.
When learning the clean, newer athletes will start out with the “hang” (start with the bar just above the knees) “power” (catch in a partial squat instead of a full squat) clean at a light weight to master the timing.
Stay patient during the first pull from the ground and keep the bar close (brushing off your thighs!) as you jump!
Setup:
– Feet hip width, grip just outside shoulder width, neutral spine, bar at your shins.
Initiation:
– Lift the bar to just above the knees smoothly with control, keeping the shoulders rising at the same pace with the hips.
– Accelerate the bar by extending the hips, keeping the bar close to the body, brushing off the top of the thighs
– Jump and shrug explosively to full extension of hips, knees, and ankles
– Pull the body downward underneath the bar and bring elbows under the bar, landing at the bottom of a front squat
– Stand up all the way to complete the rep
Common faults:
– Pulling too fast from the ground, resulting in the bar being far away from the body when jumping. Stay smooth, controlled, and patient until the bar passes the knees, then accelerate!
Check out our social media for the slow motion video with commentary and have one of our coaches check your technique tomorrow!
Dean
