II. The Exercises
** A. The Main Exercises
*****1. The Squat
*****2. The Bench Press
*****3. The Deadlift
*****4. The Power Clean
*****5. The Press
*****6. The Row
**B. Accessory Exercises
**C. Other Questions
**D. Exercise Substitution Questions
4. The Power Clean
Question - How do I properly perform a power clean?
I will not even attempt to describe in words how to perform this exercise. If you don't have a coach, or if you don't already know how to do them, then don't trust my words. Get
Starting Strength and read the chapter on the power clean.
Also, check these videos:
Click on the power clean link to the right
Great description and video
Note that in this video, you see the fellow jumping into the air. Although you want to try to do this, you will be using a weight that will render you unable to jump into the air. They show the jumping to demonstrate full explosiveness for this motion. Since homeboy is using a light weight, he goes airborne.
Question - What kind of clean should I do? Power clean, hang clean, or squat clean?
Both power cleans and hang cleans are outstanding exercises for bodybuilders, athletes, powerlifters and, of course, O-lifters alike. Hang cleans can be used to fill one (or more) of several different purposes
1) They can be "assistance" work for an O-lifter or football player
2) They can be outstanding trap/delt developers for a bodybuilder
3) They can develop excellent explosiveness for powerlifters, especially when done seated
The squat clean is merely a variation of both the power clean or the hang clean where you drop into a full squat to assist in racking the bar across the front of your shoulders.
For now, stick with the basic power cleans. Hang cleans are great for an intermediate-and-beyond trainee, and squat cleans are specific to Olympic lifters.
The Hang clean (video shows full squat hang clean variety)
The hanging clean is essentially a clean done from knee level instead of the floor. You stand up with the bar, bend your knees, keep your torso upright. You bend your knees and allow the bar to travel downward just to your knees, then you explosively straighten your legs, perform a power shrug/upright row, and flip your arms underneath the bar, just like in a regular clean.
From there, you can use a bit of leg drive and push-press the weight overhead. Then control the weight back down. At the intermediate level, the "HCP" (hanging clean and press) can be used as a double-substitute for the power clean and the standing overhead press. It makes for a serious conditioning workout as well as an incredible developer of the delt and trap areas.
The majority of cleans that you see Olympic lifters do are going to include the full squat component. For general athletics and muscle/strength building, don't bother with the squat component, as it takes a technically complex exercise and adds a few layers of complexity while reducing actual muscular involvement (i.e. you can do more weight with less strength because of the potential for very significant technique improvements)
Question - What is so tough about power cleans? Why are they the only exercise that Rippetoe thinks a coach is 100% necessary?
Power cleans are included in the program with a few "provisos", so to speak.
1) Mastery of the deadlift is necessary before the clean can even be considered. This doesn't mean "wow, he deadlifted 225", it means "wow, that guy's deadlifting technique is outstanding." The power clean cannot be performed properly without the base technique mastery of the deadlift.
2) A properly trained, critical eye will be present to teach, observe, and correct technique with the power clean.
Starting Strength was written with the primary target audience being the knowledgeable athletic coach. The idea was to give the coach some tools for progression and training for his kids. However, the vast, vast majority of people in the US (and the world, for that matter) do not have access to a competent coach who can guide the trainee in their power clean technique. As a result, most trainees would be BETTER served by NOT doing the clean, rather than do the clean, but do it wrong, which will require de-training and re-training, a much more time-consuming process than simply the initial training of a lift. If you know how to do the clean, or if you have a knowledgeable eye to help you out with your technique, then by all means, include it! The explosive strength and acceleration it develops is a critical motor skill for athletics, and will be incredibly helpful in training many of the other lifts for the aspiring bodybuilder. However, if you don't have the ability to perform it under the tutelage of someone knowledgeable, you are best served finding a different exercise as a substitute.
3) In the book
Practical Programming, Mark Rippetoe recommends that in place of the clean, the pullup and/or chinup be used until a solid base of conditioning has occured and overall strength has been developed. Once the trainee has progressed to the point where he requires a time of "backoff/reset/deload" (details discussed in Section III - Programming), then adjustments can be made to the training, and the power clean can be introduced at this time.
The original target audience of
Starting Strength was the athletic coach, and it was assumed that the coach knew how to give the proper instruction in the clean. What is now known is that the target audience has somewhat morphed into the basic kid who wants to get big and strong, and is unable to properly piece together the technique necessary to perform the power clean safely and effectively.
Additionally, the power clean REQUIRES that the barbell be dropped rather than lowered slowly during the eccentric phase. Most gyms don't have bumper plates, and they frown on your dropping iron weights to the deck, even with padding on the floor. Mom certainly doesn't want little Jimmy dropping his weights onto the floor in the basement.
As such, the clean, though the
preferred exercise, will probably not be practical or safe for most trainees. The row fills the niche vacated by the clean in this program.
Question - I want to be a bodybuilder, not an Olympic lifter, why should I do cleans?
For a variety of reasons
1) Incredible traps
2) Great explosiveness which helps in deadlifts and squats
3) Grip and forearm development
4) Deltoid development
5) Technique improvement for initial pull from floor on deadlifts
6) Variety
Question - Should I do cleans or rows?
Depends on your goals. The majority of football players, track/field athletes and obviously olympic lifters will want to do power cleans rather than rows. That being said, bent rows are an excellent exercise no matter what your specific athletic goals are.
The bottom line:
If you have a competent coach, take advantage of the coach and learn to do power cleans. Even if you decide to scrap these in favor of rows later on in your athletic/training "career", you'll at least have the opportunity to learn how to do them now so that if you choose to bring them back into your program later on, you have a solid technique knowledge base.
If you don't have a coach and you don't know how to do cleans, then don't even try. Learn to do the rows instead.