Thread: A few questions about cleans

Wow. I just went downstairs and did a couple cleans just for the heck of it; they're quite difficult to get down form-wise. Any advice on how to prepare for these? Or is this one of those 'practice makes perfect' scenarios where you just have to develop the speed and such through practice to get the exercise down correctly?

ROFL is this a gag? In your stats it says you do a 300 deadlift.

Originally Posted by WilliamB

ROFL is this a gag? In your stats it says you do a 300 deadlift.

Why don't you stop rolling on the floor and laughing. Is that supposed to sound unlikely that he does that much? I don't know the guy, maybe he does maybe he doesn't... but reading his sig doesn't really urge me to laugh.

My old roommate weighs 143 and deadlifts 385. Is that funny too?

What makes you think this is a gag? What does my deadlift have to do with the thread?

I dunno why hes laughing, I lift more than that, (not to be like, hey, im ripped) Why do you question the validity, etc of his sig?

I do cleans. I love them

sometimes I don't ahve bumper plates and I just bring the weight back down in a controled manner.

I find them excellent for my overall conditioning and strength. When my clean goes up my squat and deadlift go up but it rarely happens the other way around.

aside from that i enjoy the olympic lifts a lot and find them to be an incredible workout. More so then doing just body parts for me.

Originally Posted by FishOrCutBait

I dunno why hes laughing, I lift more than that, (not to be like, hey, im ripped) Why do you question the validity, etc of his sig?

Exactly, it's not like the numbers are unrealistic or anything... and I'm not trying to brag in any way; I'm simply proud of my numbers and it's something to keep me constantly motivated. I fully realize that many, many people on here are stronger than I am. At least I'm not the only one who's clueless as to his laughter. Thanks for the replies, but does anyone have information related to the subject of the thread?

i don't think there is anything wrong with those numbers either. especially for someone that is 15yrs old.

Originally Posted by P-funk

I do cleans. I love them

sometimes I don't ahve bumper plates and I just bring the weight back down in a controled manner.

I find them excellent for my overall conditioning and strength. When my clean goes up my squat and deadlift go up but it rarely happens the other way around.

aside from that i enjoy the olympic lifts a lot and find them to be an incredible workout. More so then doing just body parts for me.

Thanks for the info. I know that you train movements and not body parts, but what day would you recommend putting them on? My routine is, in a nutshell:

Day One: Deadlifts, Spider Curls, Military Presses, Run, Weighted Sit Ups
Day Two: Run
Day Three: DB Presses, Flies, Arnold Presses, Run, Weighted Sit Ups
Day Four: Off
Day Five: Squats, Bent Over DB Rows, maybe running and weighted sit ups
Day Six: Off
Day Seven: Off

I was thinking maybe day three, but that might be too taxing to hit the back thrice a week (assuming they hit the back fairly hard; they seem to). Thanks again for the info.

Originally Posted by P-funk

i don't think there is anything wrong with those numbers either. especially for someone that is 15yrs old.

I can't tell if that's sarcasm or encouragement, but I'll just take it as encouragement I suppose.

well, can you do the exercise yet? first you would need to learn to pull so you can work on your clean pulls (and if you are going to do snatch your snatch pulls). I recommend starting from a high hang and then progressing to a low hang and then the floor.

you coulc do it at the begining of your workout on friday for starters

high hang clean pulls (go light to learn the movement and do low reps and high sets) 2 reps x 10 sets. 30-45sec rest in between sets.

then squat.

after you get that movement you can start to get your clean going.

on one of your other days I would also do some light olympic front squating to get your wrist flexability in order and get your front squat real solid, possibly day 2.

If you do cleans, learn them from somebody reputable. There are 19 steps (that's my recollection) of a clean that can go wrong, and you don't want things going wrong during a clean.

Originally Posted by Squaggleboggin

I can't tell if that's sarcasm or encouragement, but I'll just take it as encouragement I suppose.

100% encouragment. those are great lifts at your age. I wish I was that strong at 15.

Originally Posted by Duncans Donuts

If you do cleans, learn them from somebody reputable. There are 19 steps (that's my recollection) of a clean that can go wrong, and you don't want things going wrong during a clean.

yes, he is correct. there is so much to learn going into. some many positions, the pull, power position, the scoop and recovery...etc.....and there is so much that can go wrong. I am pretty lucky to have a few state competitors as friends to help me with my form. You should really seek out a good person for teaching this stuff.

Originally Posted by P-funk

well, can you do the exercise yet? first you would need to learn to pull so you can work on your clean pulls (and if you are going to do snatch your snatch pulls). I recommend starting from a high hang and then progressing to a low hang and then the floor.

you coulc do it at the begining of your workout on friday for starters

high hang clean pulls (go light to learn the movement and do low reps and high sets) 2 reps x 10 sets. 30-45sec rest in between sets.

then squat.

after you get that movement you can start to get your clean going.

on one of your other days I would also do some light olympic front squating to get your wrist flexability in order and get your front squat real solid, possibly day 2.

I am able to do the exercise, but it's sloppy (just tried for the first time tonight because I was curious). I'll definitely take your advice and go light to get the form down. Luckily I decided not to do the jerk motion (I figured lifting a heavy weight above my head alone in my basement with a new exercise was not the smartest thing to try), and I'm going to stick to cleans only for now (no snatches; those don't look very appealing to me at this point). I'll also take your advice about doing hanging cleans, then lower hanging, etc. until I work my way to doing them from the ground. I'm just curious though, why should I do front squats other than for wrist flexibility? Won't my wrists get flexible enough doing the cleans, and won't full squats be enough for the legs? Thank you very much for the advice.

Originally Posted by P-funk

100% encouragment. those are great lifts at your age. I wish I was that strong at 15.

Thank you very much for the encouragement. It means a lot to me.

Originally Posted by P-funk

Quote:
Originally Posted by Duncans Donuts
If you do cleans, learn them from somebody reputable. There are 19 steps (that's my recollection) of a clean that can go wrong, and you don't want things going wrong during a clean.


yes, he is correct. there is so much to learn going into. some many positions, the pull, power position, the scoop and recovery...etc.....and there is so much that can go wrong. I am pretty lucky to have a few state competitors as friends to help me with my form. You should really seek out a good person for teaching this stuff.

I would really love to have a personal trainer (I absolutely love lifting), but unfortunately that isn't an option for me right now. I'm going to take all of your advice and try my best to review the form of the exercise nonstop and force myself to take it slow with light weights.

Thank you both very much for your encouragement and advice.

start with the hang pulls before you clean and learn to front squat in the rack position before too. Always break the complex movement into smaller movements to work on form.

A good book that I recommend (it is cheap and you can get it at barnes and noble) is Explosive lifting in sports by olympic caoch harvey newton. If you go to humankinetics.com you can purchase the video and book. the video is great because they slow things down and go frame to frame. Even after having hands on coaching I watch the video a lot just to learn as much as i can about the pull.

Let me say that I have done cleans before, in my own garage; I studied technique relatively carefully, and can say that as soon as my coach saw what I was doing, had at least half a dozen corrections to make. I'm no dolt with biomechanics, either, so it can be assumed that someone just starting cleans, without a coach, may very well be in danger if not consulting someone very well versed in such techniques.

Originally Posted by Duncans Donuts

Let me say that I have done cleans before, in my own garage; I studied technique relatively carefully, and can say that as soon as my coach saw what I was doing, had at least half a dozen corrections to make. I'm no dolt with biomechanics, either, so it can be assumed that someone just starting cleans, without a coach, may very well be in danger if not consulting someone very well versed in such techniques.

yea, it is dificult. When strength coach Bobby Alejo looked at my form he had a lot of correctins to make too. He said that you have to really focus on each movement and be patient as it takes years before you are flipping cars over. haha. I have some good guys showing me technique so it is nice. One is the owner of a number of sports physical therapy places, a phyiscial therapist and CSCS certified. the other is a masters in exercise science. Both were college football players and have competed in the states in olympic lifting as well as worked with many athletes. they still sit there with light weight and work thier form all the time. Sometimes they train twice a day. Morning workout they do really light form work and then evening workout they go for heavier lifts.

Originally Posted by P-funk

start with the hang pulls before you clean and learn to front squat in the rack position before too. Always break the complex movement into smaller movements to work on form.

A good book that I recommend (it is cheap and you can get it at barnes and noble) is Explosive lifting in sports by olympic caoch harvey newton. If you go to humankinetics.com you can purchase the video and book. the video is great because they slow things down and go frame to frame. Even after having hands on coaching I watch the video a lot just to learn as much as i can about the pull.

Once again, thanks for the advice; I'll be sure to take it.

I love cleans! Duncan Donuts know that! Just kidding DD, but I agree with what he and P-funk are saying. When doing any platform work it is very important to get your form down before you try to use a lot of weight. If you don't do this you can really hurt yourself. Once you get it down and can pull some weight then you will see a tremendous difference in your body and athletic ability.

Your question was if they are more for strengthening specific muscles of for explosive power. I would have to say the answer is yes! They are great for both. They won't isolate a specific muscle like curls for biceps or anything like that but they are a great full body excersize. As far as explosive power goes, the answer is hell yes. Cleans will do everything from increase your strenght to increasing your quickness as well as your verticle jump. They are just a great excersize. Just remember to keep your form and don't get hurt and continue to clean clean clean.

I just tried some hang cleans after heavy squats, and I'm finding those really difficult too. It's really hard for me to squat down and get under the bar (I thought you were supposed to do it with your feet flat too, and that won't be easy either). I guess I'll have to try some front squats with holding the bar up like that, and then in a week or two try the hang cleans again. I'll just work on speed for the front squats though.