What is a Clean?

Answer:
A Clean is the first portion of the Olympic

lift, the Clean and Jerk. The power Clean is an auxiliary lift that athletes perform in order to train for the Clean and Jerk.

Begin with a loaded barbell on the floor. Step up to the bar with the shins touching the bar and the feet shoulder width apart and flat on the floor.

Bending at the knees and hips, grasp the bar with a regular (overhand) grip and the elbows locked. Be sure to keep the back straight, shoulders over the bar, and the head facing forward. Have your thighs parallel to the floor.

From this position, take a deep breath and initiate the lift by driving up with the thighs. As the bar passes the knees, shrug with the shoulders and continue pulling the weight up with the arms as if performing an upright row.

As the bar clears the pecks, quickly tuck the elbows and wrists under the bar, standing up straight. You should now be holding the bar in the starting position of the standing overhead press. However, with proper technique, you can clean a lot more weight than you would be able to press overhead. That is why Olympic lifters perform the jerk to get the weight locked-out overhead.

During the shrug, upright row, and tuck portion, an Olympic athlete also performs a deep squat. From here they squat the weight up, while it is under their chin, before performing the jerk portion.


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