Barbell Clean

oec:barbell-clean

An explosive Olympic weightlifting movement where a barbell is pulled from the floor and caught across the front deltoids in a deep squat before standing up.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Clean, Squat Clean, Full Clean

How to do it

Setup

Stand with feet hip-width apart and the barbell over midfoot, touching or close to the shins.
Grip the bar slightly outside shoulder width using a hook grip.
Lower your hips, flatten your back, engage your lats, and look straight ahead with shoulders slightly in front of the bar.

Movement

Initiate the first pull by driving through the midfoot and pushing the floor away, maintaining your torso angle until the bar passes the knees.
Accelerate into the second pull as the bar crosses the mid-thigh by explosively extending your hips, knees, and ankles simultaneously.
Shrug forcefully and pull yourself downward under the barbell as it reaches peak height.
Whip your elbows forward and high to receive the bar across the anterior deltoids in a full front squat.
Stabilize the bottom position, then stand erect by extending the hips and knees to complete the lift.
Return the barbell safely to the floor under control or drop onto lifting platforms equipped with bumper plates.

Breathing

Take a deep breath and brace your core prior to breaking the bar from the floor, hold through the explosive pull and catch, and exhale after recovering to the standing position.

Cues

Push the floor away
Keep the bar close
Fast elbows under
Stand tall out of the hole

Common faults

Pulling primarily with the arms before reaching full hip extension, reducing power transfer.: Keep the arms long and relaxed like ropes until the hips and knees achieve complete explosive extension.
Letting the barbell drift forward away from the body during the pull.: Engage the lats to sweep the bar inward and keep it close to the thighs and torso throughout the lift.
Slow elbow turnover, leading to catching the bar on the wrists or chest instead of the shoulders.: Actively snap your elbows around the bar into a high rack position as you drop into the squat.

Safety

Perform on a dedicated weightlifting platform using bumper plates.
Do not attempt to save a missed lift behind you; push the barbell forward and bail backward if unable to complete the catch or recovery.

Muscles

Gluteus maximus prime mover
Quadriceps prime mover
Hamstrings prime mover
Upper trapezius synergist
Gastrocnemius synergist
Soleus synergist
Adductor magnus synergist
Latissimus dorsi stabilizer
Erector spinae stabilizer
Rectus abdominis stabilizer

Joints

Hip: Extension, Flexion
Knee: Extension, Flexion
Ankle: Plantarflexion, Dorsiflexion
Shoulder blade: Elevation, Upward rotation
Elbow: Flexion
Shoulder: Flexion
Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
Thoracic spine: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Olympic lift, Hip hinge, Squat, Vertical pull
Modality: Olympic weightlifting, Power, Strength
Mechanics: compound
Force: pull
Laterality: bilateral
Kinetic chain: closed
Level: advanced
Equipment: Barbell; Weight plate
Record: Repetitions and Load
Load: external, total

Sources

wger: Clean, by M9 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

barbell-clean.json