Power Cleans - 20kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7X78v-MLVE

My first attempt at power cleans, so cut me some slack. After a few more weeks, I'll post up another one. I'm going to post this video on strengthmills, hopefully Rippetoe isn't going to give me too much **** =)

I think you need to add more weight and less reps to be honest because sometimes too little weight can screw with form as you don't have anything to work against and clean form tends to go bad fast with a lot of reps.

Thats just my opinion, i know you were looking for a form check but I think its kind of hard without a little bit more weight as aforementioned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUmi2oqlvA&NR=1


watching over this video, i would say her form on the first one is pretty much perfect. Her grip seems fairly wide to me but that is just personal preference and comes down to one's anatomy. 

Things of importance that i've been taught, someone can correct me if wrong

1. Usage of thighs as ramp
2.  The shrug, pop of the hips and the extension of the ankles (often resulting in the seen jump which will vary) all should be in unison
3. Bar should stay close to body during ascent
4. your arms are just there to hold the bar; focus on receiving it on your shoulders; you should be able to let go of the bar completely and just put your arms pointing outward and the bar should rest there.

If you haven't done front squats already i would look into them in order to get used to the wrist flexibility.

It's only 3 reps, lol.

Anyway, I was able to get a max of around 37.5kg for 3 reps. So next Volume day, I'll be doing probably 32.5kg for 5x3 and work my way up. I'll post another video next week.

Newbie questions:  I have never done cleans but see a lot of you have them as a signicant part of your programs.  What is the benefit to doing them, over say squats and deads?  I'm sure there's trap and delt activation.  Is there concern about bruising/fracturing the clavicles?  Rotator cuff issues?  Thanks!
 
Also is this a move for those interested in powerlifting because it's part of the program?  Isn't clean and jerk one of the lifts?

Get your own thread!!! j/k :)

Cleans will works alot of different muscles, but personally I'm doing them because it helps to develop your explosiveness, and also the fact that it looks cool :)

There shouldn't be a bruising of the clavicle. The bar should be on your front deltoids at the end of the movement.

That was a weight you could of done probably 10-15 times though so definently good that you are adding weight on the bar.

Also JMBS cleans, or more specifically the clean and jerk is an olympic style lift found in olympic comps. The big three, deadlift, squat and bench are the only 3 I think you would find in a powerlifting comp.

Cleans work almost all the muscles in your body.



I can't watch your video because my internet is slow as ****.

But just remember to have your chest and shoulders over the bar when you start, break from the floor slow, as it gets past your knees pop your hips forward, while shrugging your shoulders and dropping yourself under the bar.

Red PittBull's Log.

Pulls


by Bill Starr







When I speak of pulling power, I am basically referring to strength of the back. While it is true that the legs do a good portion of the work in any pulling motion, it is the back that is most involved, so pulling exercises are considered back exercises.





My basic pulling lift, the power clean, will be the first to plateau in the basic program. Ironically, the gains also come the quickest in the power clean for a number of reasons. The muscles involved in the pull are generally not used in day-to-day activity, so once they become stimulated they develop rapidly. Then too, the power clean requires the most athletic ability. As soon as the trainee’s technique develops, then the poundage goes up in direct proportion to his athletic ability. But when these two factors begin to level off, the gains come more begrudgingly.






The “Athlete’s Exercise”





If your program only allowed you to do one exercise, the power clean would be the best. The muscles involved are: upper and lower leg, hip girdle, lower, middle and upper back, the upper arm and the forearms. In fact, there are so many muscles involved in this movement that if they were listed this section would read like an anatomy chart. Suffice it to say that the power clean is a most complete single exercise.





Step up to the loaded barbell so that your legs are just about touching the bar. Push your chest out, look straight ahead and reach down and grip the barbell. Your grip will naturally fall at about shoulder width. Keep your lower back very flat and your arms perfectly straight. Ease the bar off the floor slowly. Do not try to pull it off the floor quickly as this will make you break the proper position. As the bar passes your knees, bring the hips forward very rapidly. Almost at the same time, perhaps merely a fraction of a second later, pull with the muscles of the upper back (trapezius) and the arms (biceps and brachioradialis). This will bring the bar to shoulder level. Now bring the elbows under the bar and let it rack on your pectorals and frontal deltoids. Lower the bar cautiously, making sure that you keep the same flat back on the downward route. Stop. Reset your body position and repeat the movement.





Breathe both at the start and finish of the power clean but hold your breath during the exertion. On lighter warmup weights, you will be able to do complete reps on a single breath.





You will quickly discover just how important the factor of speed is once you begin this exercise. You must move the bar quickly once it clears the floor. The hips snap towards the bar, the traps contract violently and the arms finish the motion – all in a flash. A loaded barbell does not stay suspended in the air for very long.





The bar needs to be pulled close to the body in order to achieve maximum performance. The mechanics of the body levers favor the bar being next to the body on its complete route. It should be against the shins at the start, pass just over the knees, brush the stomach and chest as it passes them. If the bar hangs too far from the body, even so much as an inch or two, the big muscles of the upper back are not in as favorable a position to contract completely and this, naturally, limits the amount of weight that can be used in the exercise.





As the bar passes the hips and you are about to give the final lift with your arms do not let your elbows float backward. The elbows should lift directly to the sides and be pointed upward at the conclusion of the lift. If you begin pulling backward you will limit the poundage used once again because you are not using the best possible body leverage. If you find the bar knocking you slightly backward at the end of the lift, you can rest assured that you are pulling back rather than up on the bar.





Another by-product of the power clean is the terrific cardiovascular work it gives your body. A few, quick sets with a heavy weight (relatively speaking) leaves even the most conditioned athlete sucking for oxygen. When used in a circuit, this exercise can do wonders for an overall conditioning program. It has, in short, great fitness value along with being a most excellent strength building exercise.





Many trainees, when they start handling quite heavy weights, have a tendency to hook the bar over in an arch at the top of the pull. As the weight strikes the chest it forces the upper body backward to stop the motion of the loaded barbell. The shock is taken up by the lower back and since the lower back is not constructed to bend backward resisting heavy weights, lower back trouble may result. A few changes are in order when this happens.

Red PittBull's Log.

Well its never an issue of doing it over deads/squats. Its probably the most explosive movement exercise you can perform, maybe the snatch...but thats much more technical and more difficult.

The benefit is explosive power. And its a great indicator of total body strength which requires lower body explosiveness and upper body strength to catch and hold the weight.

Anyone can and really should be doing this movement I think it can benefit anyone regardless of goals. But it does benefit sports athletes and power lifters more.

A clean and jerk is a clean + push press. Amazing measure of total body strength.

vdk- it looks like you have it down fairly well all though its always better to judge form with weight on the bar. Why i recommended you do that in your other thread. looked pretty good though.

JMBS


Newbie questions:  I have never done cleans but see a lot of you have them as a signicant part of your programs.  What is the benefit to doing them, over say squats and deads?  I'm sure there's trap and delt activation.  Is there concern about bruising/fracturing the clavicles?  Rotator cuff issues?  Thanks!
 
Also is this a move for those interested in powerlifting because it's part of the program?  Isn't clean and jerk one of the lifts?

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

As an older guy, I would worry about injury doing these explosive moves.  I guess that's one of the points to doing them:  to develop your tendons, etc.  I could see myself doing something bad to myself and being out of commission for a while or longer.  That's definitely not in the family budget!  ;)

you just need to condition your body for it.

Your deadlift/squat will really benefit from this because of the explosive movement at the start of the lift.

You may seem hesitant to do these but I promise you if you actually decide to, and take the time to learn to do them properly you will thank yourself.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

My shrugs are still sore 2 days after my power clean session!! I don't think I get sore in that area ever, lol. Though I suspect it could still be sore because I decided to just do 2 sets of chinups yesterday on my non workout day (I'm trying to improve them by doing 3x a wk now)

keep it up; they are definently worth it.