Cleans: Learn to Let Go!

Cleans: Learn to Let Go!
Written by Zach Erick

Novice weightlifters have a hard time of letting go of the clean. I often see the bar being pulled all the way up to the chest, and as the elbows come under the bar, the grip tightening as if it’s a lifeline off the side of a cliff. This causes the elbows to be either directly underneath the bar in the front rack, or just barely, in front. The end result is either a missed clean, or the lifter fighting to keep the bar racked on the shoulders as they stand up.

You wouldn’t front squat with low elbows and a death grip on the bar, so why catch a clean like that? As you pull yourself underneath the barbell, those elbows need to be FAST! There are a few physical factors that could be preventing you from getting those elbows in front of the barbell, such as tight shoulders, tight lats, or a rounded T-Spine. Here a few great methods to mobilize the muscles and tendons needed to catch the bar in a beautiful front rack position.

1) Check out Calvin’s blog post, “How to Get a Better Rack” for some mobility tips.

2) This is always a fun one: mash the triceps and lats with a barbell, as shown in the image below.

3) Roll out the T-Spine with the Gemini or Double Lacrosse ball, as shown in the image below.

4) Stretch out your shoulders with a PVC pipe, as shown in the image below.

If there are no physical barriers that prevent you from catching the barbell with high elbows, then it can also be mental. Some people are just uncomfortable releasing their grip on a barbell with hundreds of pounds on it as it lands on their shoulders; this is understandable! The best method to become comfortable with this transition is to practice a power clean from the high hang position with light weight. Not having the luxury of a powerful second pull, as well as the benefit of catching the barbell below parallel, will force the lifter to have a fast turnover.

Another great way to practice a fast turnover is to do banded cleans. The higher the barbell comes off the ground, the more tension is added to the bands. As you pull yourself underneath the bar, the elbows must be as fast as you turnover.

As I stated before, you must become comfortable with relaxing the hands as the barbell turns over. The more you practice, and the more self-aware you become of what you’re doing, the faster the problem will be absolved. Try some of these mobility methods, and practice the High Hang Power Clean as well as the Banded Clean to improve your turnover and confidence with your clean.