Full body
Power Clean
The Power Clean is a strength exercise with a barbell for your whole body. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: gluteus maximus 19%, upper traps 15% and quads (vastus lateralis) 10%.
How to do it
- Stand with the barbell over the middle of the feet, feet hip-width.
- Grip just outside the legs, flatten the back and lift the chest, shoulders over the bar.
- Push the floor away to bring the bar past the knees, then extend the hips and knees explosively.
- Shrug and pull under, turning the elbows forward to catch the bar on the shoulders in a quarter squat.
- Stand tall, then lower the bar to the thighs and back to the floor.
Tips
- Keep the bar close enough to brush the thighs on the way up.
- Catch with the thighs above parallel and the feet flat.
Common mistakes
- Jerking the bar off the floor with a rounded back.
- Letting the hips shoot up before the chest.
- Catching the bar on the hands with low elbows.
Muscles worked by the Power Clean
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Catching high means a shallower squat. A fast pull from the floor to the front rack: hips, knees and ankles extend together (glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves), the traps shrug the bar up, and the legs catch it in a squat.
Power Clean alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
Easier
Make it harder
Make it easier
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Power Clean work?
Mainly the gluteus maximus, upper traps and quads (vastus lateralis). The spinal erectors (lower back), hamstrings (biceps femoris), quads (vastus medialis) and hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) assist.
Is the Power Clean good for beginners?
The Power Clean is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Kettlebell Goblet Clean first and build up from there.
What is a good alternative to the Power Clean?
For example the Clean, Block Power Clean and Hang Power Clean. They train mostly the same muscles.
How do you make the Power Clean harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Clean and Clean and Jerk.
Log your sets in Zulta
Zulta tracks your sets, weights and muscle load next to your running, riding or Hyrox training. The app opens soon.