Skip to main content

How to Clean

When learning how to snatch and clean we are going to use a top-down model, I don't think doing it this way is inherently better than a bottom-up model, however, it might have an advantage when teaching people who already have a background in lifting weights or powerlifting. I think this might be the case with the aforementioned background, as those beginner weightlifters will tend to move the bar in a deadlifting fashion, which can cause problems in the way the bar is thrown (creating more horizontal force rather than vertical).

The Correct grip for the Clean

There are 2 main differences between the snatch and the clean and these have implications for how the lifts will look and feel.

  1. The grip is usually much narrower than the snatch, a good place to start is about a thumb distance on either side of the legs when standing in a jumping stance. This recommendation won't work for everyone as there will be factors such as arm segments and mobility that can make wider or narrower grips feel and perform better. This is to be experimented with further down the track.

Notice that this grip has the bar sitting somewhere on the thighs rather than in the hip crease, this is important because the contact point during the powerful extension will start slightly lower than this.

  1. The catching or receiving position of the bar is in a front squat rather than an overhead squat, this is to set the lifter up for a jerk to get the bar overhead, essentially cutting a snatch in half and having a resting point in between - this movement of two halves is what allows the lifter to be able to do far more weight in the clean and jerk rather than the snatch.

Once the grip has been found, it's also important to note that a hook grip will also be used during the pulling phase of the clean.

It is also recommended the clean is learned from the top-down as well.

The Front Squat (front rack) Position

The bar should be held on the shoulders in two main ways:

  1. The bar should be as close to the neck as possible, without pushing the bar further horizontally into the throat.

  2. The elbows should be lifted lightly and on the inside (medial) of the body and remain in this position throughout the entire squat.

The way the bar is gripped in the front squat is going to depend on proportions and mobility as mentioned above. This can be improved to some extent but when learning the clean it is best to go with what is comfortable and realistic for the time being.

There is a vague hierarchy to the different grips, basically the more the hand is on the bar and the more similar it is to the pulling grip, the simpler the turnover from the pull to the front squat is.

Note: The bar should rest on the body as much as possible and not be held on the hands, the hands are more there as a guide.

Tier 1: Full grip + Hook grip - Somewhat rare, 1/20 people I introduce to the sport

Tier 2: Full grip no Hook grip - Less rare, 1/10 people

Tier 3: Fingers on the bar only - Most common

Tier 4: Losing fingers down to 3 (no pinky), 2 (index and middle finger only), 1 (index finger only [not recommended])

Once a grip has been found, for the time being, we combine steps 1 and 2 from above and then perform a front squat using the universal fundamentals.

The Turnover (what the upper body does in the Clean)

The turnover is what the lifter does, to transition from throwing the bar with the lower body in the pulling phase to the front squatting phase.

There are two broad principles in doing the turnover effectively:

  1. Keep the bar as close as possible to the body throughout the entire movement.

To keep the bar close, the lifter should set their fundamental posture (ribs and hips together + chest open) stand straight through their lower body, then pull the bar up with their elbows high (keeping the elbows above the wrists as long as possible) and aiming to brush their body with the bar.

  1. Moving the bar as fast as possible after being thrown by the legs, into a well-executed front squat rack position (and squat).

This motion must be done as quickly as possible, particularly with heavier and heavier weights, when going through the different stages of snatches (muscle, power, squat) the lifter will quickly exceed what the upper body could do on its own and can put the shoulders in a compromised position with too much weight.

When practicing the turnover, the lifter should do the above and practice for sets of 3-5 reps, using their upper body only but keeping a strong straight-line posture and balance.

Note:

  1. Depending on which tier (2 and below) the lifter has selected as their grip position in the squat, they will need to release their hook grip as the elbows rotate under the bar.

  2. The bar should rest on the body as soon as possible.

The Extension (how the lower body throws the bar) the “Second Pull”

Now we need to learn how the lower body throws the bar before turning over and receiving in the front squat position.

When the bar reaches around the tops of the knees/lower thigh in the pulling phases, we then start the final acceleration of the bar produced by the lower body in the lift. What is trying to be achieved is, is the production of as much vertical (mostly) force as possible for the bar to be thrown high enough so that the lifter can turn it over and receive it in the front squat position.

To produce a maximally powerful vertical force with the body requires a rapid contraction of the muscles that control the joints of the lower limbs, this is known as a “triple extension” of the hips, knees, and ankles (dorsiflexion). The movement this is most like in natural terms outside of the sport is a vertical jump - a vertical jump with the bar in the hands.

To practice this initially, a new lifter should set their fundamental posture (ribs and hips together + chest open) and stand straight through their lower body. Then squat down with the bar until it is just above their knees (as close as possible to the body without touching at this point), and lean over so their chest is ahead of the bar. Then as they rapidly perform a vertical jump, they simultaneously bring the bar into their thighs (note the lower contact point than the snatch) with straight arms, once the jump is complete they can continue the upward momentum of the bar with a shrug of the shoulders.

To simplify what this is:

Setup (posture locked in + Squat down with bar in the hands just above the knees with chest ahead of the bar) + Jump + thigh contact → shrug

When practicing the extension, a new lifter should do 3-5reps per set of these jumps.

The Hang Muscle Clean (the extension + turnover + front rack position)

Now the lifter should integrate what they've learned so far, the only ingredient to add here is an understanding of timing. We can think of timing at this point of the lift as not wanting the upper body to interfere with what the lower body is trying to achieve. So we want the turnover to happen after the extension NOT together.

The definition of any muscle lift is any snatch or clean where there is no squatting phase.

To simplify this is what the muscle clean from the hang will be:

Jump + contact → turnover into a strong front rack position

The legs should stay straight after the jump to maintain this as a muscle snatch; cue: the world's worst ground shock. This cue works to keep the legs straight due to people’s natural reaction from any other jumping motion is to bend the knees when landing.

Dropping under the bar

Now the lifter must understand how to transition from throwing (or pulling or jumping the bar) into receiving the bar in the receiving position (the front squat).

A good way to learn or teach this is to stand in your fundamental squat position, then from here shift the foot stance narrower by half a foot width (maintain the same toe angle). This is now the pulling or jumping stance, and the lifter's job after the extension is to shift the feet down and out into their normal squatting stance.

The drill to practice this is to start in the pulling stance with straight legs and a fundamental posture set, with arms hanging down at the sides. Then practice stomping straight down into a low and balance squat, throwing the arms up at above shoulder height simultaneously. Probably the most important aspect to focus on at this point is that it's mostly about squatting down as most lifters will start throwing their feet much wider than their normal squatting stance.

The Hang (Squat) Clean (the extension + turnover + front squat)

Again, the lifter should integrate what they've learned so far, so instead of just turning the bar over into the front squat position like in the hang muscle snatch. The lifter should now stomp down and fixate the bar on the front of the shoulders in a full squat.

To simplify this is what the clean from the hang will be:

Jump + contact → turnover + squat

At this point if successful with everything prior, the lifter will be able to do this but usually, they will start making faults in technique. It's good to focus on fundamentals;

targeting proper posture balance closeness of bar position overhead closeness of turnover timing of arms extending vertically stomping down rather than out.

Cleaning from below the knees

This next step involves 2 main adjustments to prior understanding:

  1. Position of the body relative to the bar

We can now introduce how the body should look when lifting the bar in the pull. The position of the torso influences how the bar is thrown in the extension of the snatch. We can think of the torso as the final lever that throws the bar, to throw the bar vertically we must have leverage on it, therefore the top of that lever (the shoulders) should be over the bar. The middle of the shoulder joint is the end of this lever, yes the arms are connected to the bar too, but they are acting mostly like ropes during the 1st and 2nd pulls of the lifts.

To illustrate where the ideal position could be, we can imagine opposites and their effect on how the bar is thrown.

If the shoulders are way in front of the bar, this lever now creates a huge rotational force on the bar, thus causing the bar to swing in a large arc and not be pulled to the shoulders with minimal horizontal movement.

If the shoulders are behind the bar, this lever's relation to the bar is now far less influential, the power generated from the minimal rotational force is now much lower, and the extension now doesn't create enough force to throw the bar where we want to catch it.

To further explain how to more easily find this position, we can think of where approximately the middle of the shoulder joint is in a way that the lifter can feel. We can think of the deepest part of the armpit at this point. So, when we try to set up in the correct position from below the knees and as we move the bar up in the pull while doing the powerful extension and making contact we maintain leverage on the bar by:

  1. Keeping the armpits in front (not too far) of the bar

  2. Timing of the explosive extension

We now need to know at which point the lifter needs to do the explosive extension (jump) to throw the bar when moving the bar from below the knees or floor. The most natural point to do this, which can take into account people with different limb lengths is to start the extension at the point where the shins go vertical when moving the bar in a squat-like motion (while keeping it close + armpits in front of the bar). The Hang (Squat) Clean from below the knees

Again, the lifter should integrate everything they've learned up until this point.

Setup in a squatting position with the bar below the knees as close as possible without touching and with the armpits in front of the bar

→ Push through legs maintaining this position until shins are vertical. → Jump + Contact → Turnover + squat

Cleaning from the floor

Now the only ingredient left in learning how to do the full (squat) clean is how to set up correctly from the floor.

The most important aspect is setting up the bar in the correct position in relation to the foot. We want the bar for most people to start at the joint where the toes connect to the feet (the MTP joint). When we have the bar over this point we then set up the body in the same way as from below the knees.

The Full (Squat) Clean

So, the important aspects are:

the fundamentals (active posture + balance in feet)

→ position of the bar in relation to feet → Armpits in front of the bar → moving the bar in a squatting motion until the shins are vertical → Explosive vertical extension + contact in hips → Turnover + Stomping down into a squat.