The power clean is a compound weightlifting exercise that works multiple muscles, including the quadriceps, lower back, upper back, hips, and triceps. It involves lifting a barbell from the floor to chest level while maintaining proper form and control. It is important to use rubber weights or large enough standard weight plates and start with less weight to learn proper form.
A power clean is a type of compound weightlifting that requires an athlete to lift a barbell from the floor to their chest level when standing. This exercise works several muscles, including the quadriceps, lower back, upper back, hips, and triceps. The power clean involves a lot of movement with the weight, so it is crucial that the athlete maintain proper form and maintain control at all times.
To begin the power clean, the athlete must first load the weight onto the bar. The weight begins and ends each rep on the floor, so it’s best to use rubber weights, but if they’re not available, standard weight plates will work. Regardless of the type of weights, it is important that the athlete uses at least one pair of weights that are large enough to lift the bar off the floor by a decent amount.
To perform the lift, the athlete bends at the knees and waist to grasp the bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. The athlete should drop their hips so that the lift does not put too much stress on the lower back. The hands should be in a pronated grip.
The athlete begins the lift with a single quick movement to push the feet down while pulling up with the arms. This will straighten your legs and hips and bring the bar up towards your chest. Performing this movement will cause the weight to move rapidly through the air. If the athlete performs this action with enough force, the athlete’s feet should lift slightly off the ground at the apex of the movement.
As the feet return to the ground, the athlete “catches” the weight onto their chest. Do this, he or she should bend the knees slightly. At the same time, the athlete rotates his elbows under the bar so they end up in the same position he would use to begin a military press. The combination of the movement of the arms and the slight flexion of the knees will allow the athlete to slide his chest just below the bar as his momentum briefly suspends him in the air. Once in this position, the athlete should straighten the legs completely and then pause with the weight on the chest.
To complete the power clean, the athlete then lowers the weight to the ground. To do this, he or she must roll the elbows back to their original position and bend the knees and waist again. When the weight is safely back on the floor, the athlete has completed one repetition of the power clean.
The power clean requires a lot of fast movement and is momentum dependent, so it is important for the athlete to maintain proper form. Failing to bend the knees and waist correctly can lead to lower back muscle tears during the initial lifting motion. Similarly, improper form can cause the athlete to lose control of the weight, causing it to drop or fall onto their body in a dangerous manner. For this reason, it is important to perform this exercise with less weight when learning the form.
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