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Clean pulls are great for improving performance and packing on a ton of muscle.
When people think of weightlifting movements, they usually thinking of the clean, jerk, and snatch. We always hear of the benefits of training with these exercises, but let’s be honest - many of you will not become weightlifters.
While some people may have the facility to train those movements and practice them under proper coaching, there are many other weightlifting variations that you can use to help develop muscle size, strength, and power that many people envy in weightlifters.
This article will share the benefits of clean pulls, how to program them into your training, and a step-by-step approach to several clean Pull variations.
Benefits of clean pulls
Clean pulls focus on the power portion of a full clean. In both the clean and snatch, when the barbell reaches sternum height the lifter usually pulls themselves under the bar. This is known as the catch phase.
The catch phase is one of the harder portions of the lift to get down and it also doesn’t contribute much to the power developed in these lifts.
Without having to worry about dropping under the bar and catching it, clean pulls allow lifters to use a heavier load and simplify the movement just a bit. There are many individuals who are interested in trying out Olympic lifts, but if you don’t have the proper coaching especially during the catch phase, you will put yourself at risk of injury.
By working with clean pulls, lifters are able to still benefit from developing explosive power and strength which can lead towards solid muscle gain. Clean pulls strongly stimulate your Type II fibers which are known for explosive movements and their ability to hypertrophy.
Although I am a fan of coaching the Olympic lifts, if I have an athlete for a short amount (2-3 months) of time, with no experience in the Olympic Lifts, and they need to get results quick, then I stick with clean pull variations. These movements will help to increase explosive power, strengthen ligaments, tendons, and muscles to reduce their risk of injury, increase kinesthetic awareness, and improve coordination.
How to program with clean pulls
Clean pulls are explosive in nature, and fall within the 1-6 rep range when it comes to power training. Rest periods between sets can range from 2-6 minutes. The main question you should be thinking about when it comes to rest periods and reps is, “Do I still feel explosive?” If the answer is ‘No’, then you are putting yourself at risk of injury because fatigue has started to settle in. Don’t get too excited and rush it. There’s no need to rush a good thing, right?
The clean pull can be used with lighter weights (40-70% of 1RM) in the 4-6 rep range to increase rate of force development or speed, and also a good starting weight to learn the movement. Personally, I lean more towards increasing force and power development, and packing on muscle by using heavier loads of 70-10% of 1RM in the 1-3 rep range.
When it comes to programming, it’s always best to place explosive movements towards the beginning of the sequences of exercises. Since clean pulls are explosive movements, you want to be performing them while you feel fresh in order to focus on good form and less risk of injury if you were to do them under a fatigued state.
Here is an example of a total body workout:
Clean Pull Variation: 5 x 3
Back Squats: 4 x 6
Chin-ups: 30 reps (Use as much sets as it takes to reach 30 reps)
DB Reverse Lunges: 4 x 6 each leg
Bench Press: 4 x 6
How to perform clean pulls
The clean pull is done between the first and second pull of the clean. I like to consider the second pull as the sweet spot.
Studies have found that the deadlift (which can be also considered the first pull - but they are different) to have 1,100 watts of power, while the second pull of the clean has 5,500 watts of power. Like I said, Sweet spot.
Many people have their own way of teaching these variations of weightlifting exercises. For me it all depends on the lifter and finding out which approach works best. For this article, I’ll start from the top down with the barbell on the rack as if performing a rack pull and the bar is positioned at knee level.
But first thing to pay attention to is correct feet position.
When thinking of a clean pull, your are basically performing a jump. So if you were told to position yourself for a vertical jump, your feet would move to a shoulder-width stance with your feet facing forward.
With bar resting at knee level, here’s the start position:
With correct foot position, stand straight with bar in contact with your knee
Keep your chest up, and hinge at the hip pushing your butt back as your lower down to the bar
As you grip the bar, make sure your arms are not in contact with your legs
Use a hook grip (thumb around the bar and fingers around the thumb) which at first can be uncomfortable, or you can use straps if you must, especially when dealing with a heavier load
Your arms are long and strong with rotated and pointed outwards
In the start position, you should feel tension in the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) and you are prepared to take the slack out of the bar.
Execute the movement:
From the start position, drive your heels in the ground as your hips and shoulders raise up at the same time.
Keep a tight core and keep pulling until you reach the mid-thigh (Sweet spot)
When you find the ‘Sweet Spot’ perform an explosive jump by fully extending the ankle, knee, and hip forcefully
At the top of the movement, perform an aggressive shrug with the shoulders going straight up and as high as possible while keeping your arms straight. Your ankles, knees hips, and shoulders should be all in the same line.
Hold the bar close to you body throughout the movement. Keeping constant tension on your lats will assist in doing that.
Lower the bar under control back to the rack and always re-check your starting position. Your feet could have shifted during the jump.
As you become more comfortable with the movement you can perform the exercise from a hang position with the bar held just above the knee while using the same cues and execution of the movement.
While performing clean pulls from the hang, it is important to begin your explosive jump when you hit the ‘Sweet Spot’. If you jump before hitting the ‘Sweet Spot’ the bar will go away from your body which will put you in a bad position when the bar comes back to the start position.
Lastly, when starting from the floor, some lifters tend to take more of a deadlift position with the hips a little higher, which is fine because this article isn’t meant to make you a weightlifter. But the approach to starting from the ground isn’t about ripping the barbell off the floor.
The first pull is like the first gear of a car, so take it slow because you are setting up for the second pull which is the ‘Sweet Spot’ where you change gears and explode up. BOOM! Sweet spot!
Final words
The clean pulls can be easily implemented into your training today, and you don’t need a platform. If you train at a gym that doesn’t allow deadlifts, which is absurd, then perform them from the rack or the hang position.
Incorporating clean pulls will help you develop explosive power and strength while packing on muscle. These movements are very safe when done with proper technique and not under a fatigued-state.
Try out these exercises and remember to not rush a good thing, find the ‘Sweet Spot’, you’ll know when you hit it just right.
When people think of weightlifting movements, they usually thinking of the clean, jerk, and snatch. We always hear of the benefits of training with these exercises, but let’s be honest - many of you will not become weightlifters.
While some people may have the facility to train those movements and practice them under proper coaching, there are many other weightlifting variations that you can use to help develop muscle size, strength, and power that many people envy in weightlifters.
This article will share the benefits of clean pulls, how to program them into your training, and a step-by-step approach to several clean Pull variations.
Benefits of clean pulls
Clean pulls focus on the power portion of a full clean. In both the clean and snatch, when the barbell reaches sternum height the lifter usually pulls themselves under the bar. This is known as the catch phase.
The catch phase is one of the harder portions of the lift to get down and it also doesn’t contribute much to the power developed in these lifts.
Without having to worry about dropping under the bar and catching it, clean pulls allow lifters to use a heavier load and simplify the movement just a bit. There are many individuals who are interested in trying out Olympic lifts, but if you don’t have the proper coaching especially during the catch phase, you will put yourself at risk of injury.
By working with clean pulls, lifters are able to still benefit from developing explosive power and strength which can lead towards solid muscle gain. Clean pulls strongly stimulate your Type II fibers which are known for explosive movements and their ability to hypertrophy.
Although I am a fan of coaching the Olympic lifts, if I have an athlete for a short amount (2-3 months) of time, with no experience in the Olympic Lifts, and they need to get results quick, then I stick with clean pull variations. These movements will help to increase explosive power, strengthen ligaments, tendons, and muscles to reduce their risk of injury, increase kinesthetic awareness, and improve coordination.
How to program with clean pulls
Clean pulls are explosive in nature, and fall within the 1-6 rep range when it comes to power training. Rest periods between sets can range from 2-6 minutes. The main question you should be thinking about when it comes to rest periods and reps is, “Do I still feel explosive?” If the answer is ‘No’, then you are putting yourself at risk of injury because fatigue has started to settle in. Don’t get too excited and rush it. There’s no need to rush a good thing, right?
The clean pull can be used with lighter weights (40-70% of 1RM) in the 4-6 rep range to increase rate of force development or speed, and also a good starting weight to learn the movement. Personally, I lean more towards increasing force and power development, and packing on muscle by using heavier loads of 70-10% of 1RM in the 1-3 rep range.
When it comes to programming, it’s always best to place explosive movements towards the beginning of the sequences of exercises. Since clean pulls are explosive movements, you want to be performing them while you feel fresh in order to focus on good form and less risk of injury if you were to do them under a fatigued state.
Here is an example of a total body workout:
Clean Pull Variation: 5 x 3
Back Squats: 4 x 6
Chin-ups: 30 reps (Use as much sets as it takes to reach 30 reps)
DB Reverse Lunges: 4 x 6 each leg
Bench Press: 4 x 6
How to perform clean pulls
The clean pull is done between the first and second pull of the clean. I like to consider the second pull as the sweet spot.
Studies have found that the deadlift (which can be also considered the first pull - but they are different) to have 1,100 watts of power, while the second pull of the clean has 5,500 watts of power. Like I said, Sweet spot.
Many people have their own way of teaching these variations of weightlifting exercises. For me it all depends on the lifter and finding out which approach works best. For this article, I’ll start from the top down with the barbell on the rack as if performing a rack pull and the bar is positioned at knee level.
But first thing to pay attention to is correct feet position.
When thinking of a clean pull, your are basically performing a jump. So if you were told to position yourself for a vertical jump, your feet would move to a shoulder-width stance with your feet facing forward.
With bar resting at knee level, here’s the start position:
With correct foot position, stand straight with bar in contact with your knee
Keep your chest up, and hinge at the hip pushing your butt back as your lower down to the bar
As you grip the bar, make sure your arms are not in contact with your legs
Use a hook grip (thumb around the bar and fingers around the thumb) which at first can be uncomfortable, or you can use straps if you must, especially when dealing with a heavier load
Your arms are long and strong with rotated and pointed outwards
In the start position, you should feel tension in the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) and you are prepared to take the slack out of the bar.
Execute the movement:
From the start position, drive your heels in the ground as your hips and shoulders raise up at the same time.
Keep a tight core and keep pulling until you reach the mid-thigh (Sweet spot)
When you find the ‘Sweet Spot’ perform an explosive jump by fully extending the ankle, knee, and hip forcefully
At the top of the movement, perform an aggressive shrug with the shoulders going straight up and as high as possible while keeping your arms straight. Your ankles, knees hips, and shoulders should be all in the same line.
Hold the bar close to you body throughout the movement. Keeping constant tension on your lats will assist in doing that.
Lower the bar under control back to the rack and always re-check your starting position. Your feet could have shifted during the jump.
As you become more comfortable with the movement you can perform the exercise from a hang position with the bar held just above the knee while using the same cues and execution of the movement.
While performing clean pulls from the hang, it is important to begin your explosive jump when you hit the ‘Sweet Spot’. If you jump before hitting the ‘Sweet Spot’ the bar will go away from your body which will put you in a bad position when the bar comes back to the start position.
Lastly, when starting from the floor, some lifters tend to take more of a deadlift position with the hips a little higher, which is fine because this article isn’t meant to make you a weightlifter. But the approach to starting from the ground isn’t about ripping the barbell off the floor.
The first pull is like the first gear of a car, so take it slow because you are setting up for the second pull which is the ‘Sweet Spot’ where you change gears and explode up. BOOM! Sweet spot!
Final words
The clean pulls can be easily implemented into your training today, and you don’t need a platform. If you train at a gym that doesn’t allow deadlifts, which is absurd, then perform them from the rack or the hang position.
Incorporating clean pulls will help you develop explosive power and strength while packing on muscle. These movements are very safe when done with proper technique and not under a fatigued-state.
Try out these exercises and remember to not rush a good thing, find the ‘Sweet Spot’, you’ll know when you hit it just right.
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