Strength Training · Olympic Weightlifting
Paused Clean
The paused clean is a barbell clean with a brief stop during the pull before you catch it on your shoulders. It trains leg power and control of your lifting position.
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, with the bar over your midfoot.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs from a crouch, with your shoulders slightly ahead of it.
- Lift the bar close to your shins until it reaches just below your kneecaps.
- Hold the bar motionless at that height for 1–2 seconds.
- Accelerate the bar upward by forcefully extending your knees and hips.
- Receive the bar across the fronts of your shoulders in a full squat, with your elbows pointing forward.
- Stand fully upright with the bar supported on your shoulders.
- Return the bar to the platform before your next repetition.
Form cues
- Brace before the pull
- Keep arms long through the pause
- Push through your whole foot
- Move yourself under the bar
Common mistakes
- Dipping after the pauseResume upward directly from the stopped position rather than lowering the bar to build momentum.
- Hips rising ahead of the chestRaise your hips and shoulders together during the initial pull so your torso angle stays nearly constant.
- Throwing the bar forwardKeep the bar close as it passes your thighs rather than knocking it outward with your hips.
- Bar crashing onto the shouldersTurn your elbows through sooner so you meet the bar rather than letting it drop onto you.
Safety
Losing trunk position under load can strain your back, while a poorly timed catch can overload your wrists or shoulders. A missed lift can drop the bar onto your legs or feet.
- Practice with a light bar until you can consistently complete the pause and catch.
- Use secured bumper plates on a clear platform with room to release the bar.
- Learn to bail out of a missed clean safely before adding substantial weight.
- End the set when fatigue changes your pulling position or catch timing.
If you cannot comfortably hold a front-rack squat, practice the paused clean pull instead; seek physiotherapist advice if wrist, shoulder, knee, or back pain limits the movement.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell Collar
- Bumper Plate
- 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 less weight than for your regular clean, prioritizing repeatable positions over load.