The Clean
by Joby on Nov.01, 2009, under WOD
The clean is perhaps the most effective way of improving an athletes power. Power is defined by work over time. Work is equal to force x distance. Force is equal to mass times acceleration so
P= mass x acc. x dist.
time
The effectiveness of generating power from this lift can be seen from this equation. The heavy loads (m) that can be used plus the relatively long distance (d) and the speed (a) at which the bar is moved as well as the short amount of time (t) that it takes to complete the lift all maximize its power output.
For the guy or girl who just wants to stay fit, the clean can do more than just develp power. When done in high rep sets, it can improve anaerobic conditioning and burn fat and can be even more effective when complexed with other compound movements.
The power clean is more techinical than the slower lifts such as the squat, deadlift, and bench press and is most safely and effectively learned under the supervision of an experienced coach. For those of you without access to an Olympic lifting coach, I will provide a brief “How To” on the power clean. Note that there are variations to the clean including the hang clean, squat clean, clean pull, hang squat clean and more.
The power clean which will be explained in the next few posts starts from the floor and ends in the “rack” position of the front squat.
Set-up
There is more than one way to set-up for the power clean. The easiest way to learn the clean is to assume a deadlift position. This should include hip width feet, shins touching the bar, shoulders slightly forward of the bar, and the lower back locked in lumbar extension. A grip slightly wider than shoulder width should be assumed and the bar should be over top of the mid-foot. The hip position of the set-up will vary with anatomy. The hips should be set in a position so that the bar path will be completely vertical in the first pull. If your hips are too low and the load is significant, you will have a tendency to pull the bar into your shins. Although the bar should maintain contact with the legs throughout the first pull, your shins should not be bleeding after a few sets of the lift.
more on the clean later…
