Strength Training · Olympic Weightlifting · Functional Fitness
Clean
The clean moves a barbell from the floor to your shoulders in one explosive lift, followed by standing from the catch. It trains leg and hip power, coordination, and strength in the receiving squat.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart beneath the bar, positioned over your midfoot.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs with an overhand grip.
- Lower your hips into a starting position with your shoulders slightly ahead of the bar.
- Push through the floor to raise the bar past your knees.
- Extend your hips and knees rapidly as the bar reaches your upper thighs.
- Pull yourself under the bar, rotating your elbows forward.
- Receive the bar across the fronts of your shoulders in a squat, with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Stand upright with the bar securely supported on your shoulders.
Form cues
- Brace before the bar leaves the floor
- Keep the bar close to your body
- Keep your whole foot grounded early
- Drive your knees in line with toes
Common mistakes
- Hips shoot up firstRaise your hips and shoulders together during the pull from the floor.
- Bending your arms too soonKeep your arms long until your legs and hips finish driving upward.
- Bar crashes onto your shouldersMeet the bar at its rising height rather than dropping into a squat before securing it.
- Catching the weight in your handsLift your elbows enough that your shoulders bear the load rather than your wrists.
Safety
A mistimed catch can overload your wrists, shoulders, or back. Losing balance under a heavy bar can cause a fall or impact injury, especially when fatigue slows your movement.
- Practice the movement with a light training bar before adding weight.
- Learn how to release a missed catch forward while moving clear before attempting heavy lifts.
- Secure plates with collars on a clear platform; use bumper plates for dropped lifts and keep others outside the drop area.
- End the set when your speed, balance, or receiving position deteriorates.
If you cannot comfortably hold a front-rack position or squat with your heels down, use a simpler pulling variation and seek physiotherapy advice for persistent pain or restrictions.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell Collar
- Bumper Plate
- Change Plate (optional)
- Knee Sleeves (optional)
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Olympic Weightlifting Barbell
- Weightlifting Platform
- Wrist Wraps (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–5
- Target
- 1–3 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Use a load that allows crisp technique on every repetition, resetting fully between lifts.