Strength Training · Olympic Weightlifting
Tall Clean
The tall clean is a light-bar drill that trains you to move quickly under the bar into a front squat. It develops clean turnover timing and receiving position with minimal leg drive.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 2 min
How to do it
- Stand fully upright, feet hip-width apart, holding the bar at your upper thighs with straight arms and an overhand grip just outside your legs.
- Shrug your shoulders to initiate a small upward movement of the bar.
- Pull yourself down beneath the bar, moving your feet into your squat stance.
- Rotate your elbows forward around the bar.
- Receive the bar across the fronts of your shoulders in a front squat.
- Stand up fully with the bar supported on your shoulders.
- Pause in a balanced standing position.
- Lower the bar under control to your thighs.
Form cues
- Keep the bar close.
- Meet the bar; don't let it crash.
- Keep your whole foot planted when receiving.
Common mistakes
- Dipping before the pullBegin with your knees and hips extended rather than bending them to generate upward drive.
- Curling the bar upwardUse your arms to move your body under the bar rather than lifting it to shoulder height.
- Catching the weight in your handsFinish with your elbows pointing forward so your shoulders, rather than your wrists, support the load.
Safety
A mistimed catch can strain your wrists or shoulders, and losing balance in the squat can cause a fall. Excessive load or fatigue makes both more likely.
- Start with a training bar or empty bar that you can turn over without leg drive.
- Practice releasing a missed front squat safely before adding weight.
- Use secured plates on a clear lifting platform with room to step away from a dropped bar.
- End the set when your turnover slows or your receiving position becomes unstable.
If you cannot comfortably hold a front-rack position or reach a balanced front squat, practice those positions separately and seek advice for persistent pain.
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
- 2–3 reps
- Rest
- 2 min
Use this as a technique drill before heavier cleans, prioritizing precise catches over load.