Learning Power Cleans on Starting Strength

Training Powerlifting
1

Starting strength program is this:

Day 1.
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Day 2.
Off
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Power clean 3x5.

My clean form is not good, so should I split the 5x3 power cleans into different exercises that make up a power clean such as hang cleans? Reading this: Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION I thought it might be a good idea to do this.

Also, I realise that it’s often suggested to start light, and I’ve done so, but when the weight is 50% or less of my 1RM, I find myself not dropping under the bar to catch it, instead simply rowing the bar up to my shoulders. Any ideas how to correct this?

2

[quote]Mahatma wrote:
Any ideas how to correct this?[/quote]

I had this exact problem. My coach had me do - I may have the exact name wrong - ‘hang clean from dead hand’.

With only the bar, stand on your tippytoes. Relax your arms so the bar is hanging down and rest on your body.

Now, shrug explosively and try to receive the bar in the clean position.

That will teach you how to go down to the bar like nothing else, IMO.

If you can, seek out a proper coach.

3

[quote]Mahatma wrote:
Starting strength program is this:

Day 1.
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Day 2.
Off
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Power clean 3x5.

My clean form is not good, so should I split the 5x3 power cleans into different exercises that make up a power clean such as hang cleans? Reading this: Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION I thought it might be a good idea to do this.

Also, I realise that it’s often suggested to start light, and I’ve done so, but when the weight is 50% or less of my 1RM, I find myself not dropping under the bar to catch it, instead simply rowing the bar up to my shoulders. Any ideas how to correct this?[/quote]

Practice it more with less then 50%. Say 40% and build up so you can do the lift well so that at 45 and 50% your not rowing it up.

Read the article, follow the videos and just keep at it. A person can’t learn to ride a unicycle in a day so it just takes a bit of patience and practice mate.

Koing

4

There is a Starting Strength DVD that demonstrates the lifts. While a good coach would be preferable, it seems they are hard to find. If you can’t find a coach, you may want to get the DVD.

5

You’ll be fine if you just start light and get about 20 or so reps of bar work into your warm up. really take some time with lighter weights to get your pattern down. I would also say go from the hang or high hang for the start.

Go light at about 40-50% for a month and just incorporate some heavy explosive cable rows or supported rows into the power clean day to compensate for the lightness of the Pcl. Rippetoe claims that the power clean is primarily to develop a strong and explosive rigid back in the context of SS prog. You have it down in 4 weeks or less. Just remember to sit down under it on each rep no matter how light and your racking position will come around in no time.

Alternatively you could just do clean high pulls [explode from the ground to the nipples] from the ground and ignore the racking part of the PCl entirely and get a very very similar effect. your call. good luck sir. its all about the warm up.

-chris

6

[quote]el_presidente wrote:
Mahatma wrote:
Any ideas how to correct this?

I had this exact problem. My coach had me do - I may have the exact name wrong - ‘hang clean from dead hand’.

With only the bar, stand on your tippytoes. Relax your arms so the bar is hanging down and rest on your body.

Now, shrug explosively and try to receive the bar in the clean position.

That will teach you how to go down to the bar like nothing else, IMO.

If you can, seek out a proper coach.[/quote]

One of my coaches has said something similar. He said that too many people worry about getting under the bar. His view is that once you go to full extension - up on your tippy toes and shrugging until your shoulders are touching your ears or as close to your ears as possible - you have no where to go but down. It’s not quite that automatic but darn close, and I think he’s right.

Not even can be said about doing technique work with a light or even empty bar. Probably about 90% of this stuff is mental - you just need to get comfortable getting underneath the weight and realizing that it can be done and you won’t fall over doing it.

Another drill to do, again with light weight, is do a clean and then a front squat. Keep shortening the time between when you catch the clean and when you front squat and eventually the two will blend into each other and you’ll have yourself a full clean. I realize Starting Strength only has you doing power cleans, but if you can get comfortable doing a full clean with light weight, this will go a long way in getting you to do a quarter squat in a power clean.

7

[quote]MikeTheBear wrote:
el_presidente wrote:
Mahatma wrote:
Any ideas how to correct this?

I had this exact problem. My coach had me do - I may have the exact name wrong - ‘hang clean from dead hand’.

With only the bar, stand on your tippytoes. Relax your arms so the bar is hanging down and rest on your body.

Now, shrug explosively and try to receive the bar in the clean position.

That will teach you how to go down to the bar like nothing else, IMO.

If you can, seek out a proper coach.

One of my coaches has said something similar. He said that too many people worry about getting under the bar. His view is that once you go to full extension - up on your tippy toes and shrugging until your shoulders are touching your ears or as close to your ears as possible - you have no where to go but down. It’s not quite that automatic but darn close, and I think he’s right.

Not even can be said about doing technique work with a light or even empty bar. Probably about 90% of this stuff is mental - you just need to get comfortable getting underneath the weight and realizing that it can be done and you won’t fall over doing it.

Another drill to do, again with light weight, is do a clean and then a front squat. Keep shortening the time between when you catch the clean and when you front squat and eventually the two will blend into each other and you’ll have yourself a full clean. I realize Starting Strength only has you doing power cleans, but if you can get comfortable doing a full clean with light weight, this will go a long way in getting you to do a quarter squat in a power clean. [/quote]

It is ALL MENTAL, but the point is you can’t expect someone to pull under a big weight if goes to their chest if their technique isn’t near correct e.g. pulling with arms, the arms are loaded and you can’t pull your body under the bar as your arms are loaded.

It’s apprently only simple with a coach. I’ve seen non coach lifters pull big weights to chest and fail to rack it.

This is different for you, others and I with a coach. We have had the technique and foundations laid so it’s easy. We have no fear of getting under any weights and our technique allows us to do it.

So we don’t know what it’s like to lift without a coach.

It’s only when you start to increase the % from 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, 80, 85, 90, 95 etc that you know where your technique is at. If you haven’t done enough you will definitely bail out on the weight even if it gets to your chest.

Koing

8

[quote]Koing wrote:
It is ALL MENTAL, but the point is you can’t expect someone to pull under a big weight if goes to their chest if their technique isn’t near correct e.g. pulling with arms, the arms are loaded and you can’t pull your body under the bar as your arms are loaded.[/quote]

Well for someone like me, who comes with some strength training background, for quite some time the instinct was to try and row the bar up. “Muscling up”, it’s sometimes called. Doing that, I could “clean” about 80kg.

Once I got the shrug and racking part - when I really understood how you drop under the bar, rather than bringing it up to you - my clean went up to 110kg in the next session. That’s when I really got that it’s all about technique.

9

[quote]el_presidente wrote:
Koing wrote:
It is ALL MENTAL, but the point is you can’t expect someone to pull under a big weight if goes to their chest if their technique isn’t near correct e.g. pulling with arms, the arms are loaded and you can’t pull your body under the bar as your arms are loaded.

Well for someone like me, who comes with some strength training background, for quite some time the instinct was to try and row the bar up. “Muscling up”, it’s sometimes called. Doing that, I could “clean” about 80kg.

Once I got the shrug and racking part - when I really understood how you drop under the bar, rather than bringing it up to you - my clean went up to 110kg in the next session. That’s when I really got that it’s all about technique.[/quote]

Yes it’s all about technique but you can’t be weak and PC 1.5x bodyweight…

Koing