Teaching the Power Clean, and Some Safe

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Teaching the Power Clean, and Some Safe
Effective Alternatives

• Chris D.Wood, M.Ed., CSCS
• Strength Conditioning Coordinator
• Assistant Track Field Coach
• Pacific Lutheran University
• woodcd_at_plu.edu

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Outline

• Why are you doing them
• Pre-requisites (get them strong first)
• Equipment
• Med-Balls
• Dumbbells
• Clean
• Technical /Coaching cues

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Why Force Velocity Curve

• Its not about big weight
• Movement Speed
• Highest Power outputs are produced at 30-80 of
  1-RM
• Train Movements, not exercises
• Full ROM, total body, athletic lifts
• Med Balls, Dumbbells, Barbells, Tires, Sledge
  Hammers

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Force Velocity Curve
Velocity
Load
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WhyPower Output
LIFT SUBJECT POWER (Watts)
Bench Press Novice 60 481
Novice 85 366
Novice 100 247
Squat Heavy Elite 93 1259
Heavy Elite 900
Snatch Light Elite 95 2821
Light Elite 2675
Clean Heavy Elite 3877
Heavy Elite 3413
The numbers for the clean speak for themselves
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Why Cont.

• Hopefully not just because others are doing
  them!!!

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Prerequisites

• Master the basic lifts first
• Can your athletes
• Back Squat
• Front Squat
• Deadlift
• Bench Press
• Where is their core strength?
• Have they been training the core standing or
  lying on their backs?
• Standing abdominal exercises
• Standing low back exercises
• Standing rotational exercises/oblique

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Prerequisites Cont.

• A safe place to lift explosively
• Where to start after basic strength is achieved?
• Med Ball similar to Olympic Lifts
• Box Jumps
• Loaded Jumps

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Prerequisites Cont.

• Olympic variations with dumbbells
• Teach triple extension first
• DB Push Press
• DB Split Jerk
• Move on to larger variations with strength
  athletes working from the floor, and speed
  athletes working from athletic position
• Speed DB Clean from the hang position
• Strength DB Snatch from the floor (power
  position)

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Prerequisites Cont.

• Athletes must MASTER athletic position
• Feet square and under the hips
• Lower leg is perpendicular to the ground
• Hips are behind the knee with weight shifted
  slightly to the posterior (toe wiggle)
• Back is flat, butt is down, chin is pushed
  forward, and the chest is up
• Shoulders are pulled back slightly with the arms
  hanging slightly back (elbows should be locked
  and turned out)
• The arms will be angled back from the shoulder to
  the top of the knee.

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Prerequisites Cont.
Hand Placement
Foot Placement
Power Position
Hang Position
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Prerequisites Cont

• The first pull is started with the hips dont
  let them pull with the back or elbows first. Work
  the hips back and the chest up.
• The second pull is the explosive pull the bar
  gets to the knee, the hips are pushed through and
  the back is forcefully extended (high hamstring
  tension)
• Hip drive will create a large amount of momentum
  on the bar
• Use this momentum to shrug and pull the weight to
  the sternum area (bar can get away here)
• Once the weight has run out of momentum the
  athlete will quickly pull their body under the
  bar, catching it on their shoulders punch the
  elbows up to the ceiling

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Terms

• Olympic Clean (Squat Clean)
• Power Clean
• Power Position
• Hang Position
• Mid-Thigh Position
• Rack Position (catch)
• Below Knee

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Equipment

• Rubber Mat
• Plywood
• Platform
• Bumper Plates
• Quality Bar
• Not bent
• Collar Spin
• Open Floor Space
• 12x12

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Olympic Movements with Barbell

• Work from the bottom up when coaching these
  movements
• Standard Base Deadlift
• Power Clean Pull/Hang Clean Pull/Mid Thigh Pull
• Power High Pull/Hang High Pull/ Mid-Thigh High
  Pull
• Front Squat
• Power Clean/Hang Clean/Mid-Thigh Clean
• Power Snatch Pull/Hang Snatch Pull/Mid-Thigh
  Snatch Pull

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Supplemental Olympic Movements

• Push Press (in front, from the rack)
• Split Jerk (in front, from the rack)
• Coach these if you eventually want to work up to
  advanced combination lifts
• Front SquatPush Press
• Hang CleanFront Squat

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Pulling the Bar

• Foot, ankle, knee, hip
• Tension (arms locked, chin out, shoulders out
  front)
• Chest rises at the same rate has the hip
• Bar is pulled tight up towards the shin
• Bar pulled from the knee to the sternum by
  driving the hip joint forward
• Finish the movement by shrugging the shoulders
  (pull, high pull, rack)

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Racking the Bar

• Grip width essential to a proper rack
• Roughly 24, or split between the deltoid
• Keeping the bar tight to the body
• Circular path (reverse curl) is not desired
• Drop the hips (not bend the knee)
• As the hips drop, the heels HIT the floor
• Simultaneously the elbows are punched to the
  ceiling

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Racking the Bar???

• You are training athletes not lifters
• Triple extension is key in 90 of sports
• Looking for ankle, knee, hip, and moving external
  loads quickly
• Hang Pulls
• Power Pulls
• Pull with a release
• Push Press

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Racking the Bar???
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Racking the Bar???
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Workout Structure
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Med Balls ---- 2-6 3-10
DB Variations 15-40lbs 2-6 3-6
Clean Variations 50 2-6 6
---- 60 2-6 5
---- 70 2-6 4
---- 80 2-6 1-3
Hang/Power Pulls 80 2-6 1-3
90 2-6 1-2