Squat Clean
The full clean as done in weightlifting: pull the bar from the floor and catch it on the front of the shoulders in a deep front squat, then stand. It trains the hips, quads and upper back. Choose it over the power clean to train for the clean and jerk or to clean heavier weights.
Updated
Primary muscles: quadriceps, glutes. Supporting muscles: hamstrings, traps, upper back, lower back, core. Equipment: barbell.
Muscles worked
Primary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set the bar over midfoot, feet hip-width, and grip just outside the legs with a hook grip.
- Brace the core with the shoulders slightly over the bar and a neutral spine.
- Push the floor away, keeping the bar close as it passes the knees.
- Extend the hips and knees explosively once the bar reaches the upper thighs.
- Pull yourself under fast, turning the elbows forward as the feet move out to your squat stance.
- Catch in a full front squat, hips below the knees and elbows high.
- Stand up out of the squat, then lower the bar to the hips and then to the floor.
Watch for
- Hips rising before the shoulders as the bar leaves the floor.
- Pulling with the arms before the hips finish extending.
- A late turnover that lets the bar crash onto the shoulders.
- Elbows dropping in the bottom, which tips the bar forward.
Breathing
Inhale and brace before the pull, exhale once you stand tall.
Tip
If you cannot stand up, push the bar forward off the shoulders and step back to drop it on bumper plates.
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