Gripping the bar tightly, hinge the hips to move into half-squat, so the upper legs are slightly higher than parallel to the floor.The thumbs should be roughly a thumb-width away from the outsides of the legs. With palms facing inward and arms straight, reach down to grab the bar.(The stance should mimic the starting position for a squat.) The bar should hover (roughly) above the arches of the foot. With feet hip-width apart, stand as close to a barbell (that is on the ground) as possible.(Related: How To Get Faster at Sprinting, According to Experts)īelow, learn how to do a power clean, learn how the muscles move, and learn the benefits of incorporating the exercise into a strength routine, according to Daley.

The most notable improvements came after 14 to 15 weeks of consecutive training. A 2008 study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that incorporating power cleans into a strength training routine could improve a person’s jump height, sprint speed, and other explosive movements. Power output, or power training, is a type of training that uses explosive movements to build muscle strength and improve rapid speed, agility, and swiftness. “This could be vertical jumping and explosiveness for an athlete, and it could also be being able to get off the couch quickly or running around with your kids.” “ trains power output, which is incredibly important for anything where we initiate movement quickly,” she said. Athletes will train for months - even years - to get it right, as the power clean is a foundational exercise for the clean and jerk, an official move in Olympic weightlifting competitions, said Megan Daley, a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.Įven if you’re not a competitive athlete, Daley said that power cleans offer a wealth of benefits. But within that lift is a multitude of small, impactful muscle activations and movements. Power cleans - wherein an athlete hoists a loaded barbell from the floor to their shoulders - might seem like a seamless, continuous movement.

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