Power Clean
- Primary muscleHamstrings
- EquipmentBarbell
- DifficultyAdvanced
- TypeComplex
Pulled from the floor and caught standing tall in a quarter squat, the power clean skips the deep catch of the full lift, trading some maximal weight for simplicity and speed. Bar speed is the entire currency here: when a set slows down, end it rather than grinding out extra reps.
How to do the Power Clean
- Start with the barbell on the ground in front of you, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend down and grip the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your back straight and chest up as you lift the barbell off the ground, extending your hips and knees.
- As the barbell reaches your mid-thigh, explosively pull it upwards, shrugging your shoulders and pulling your elbows high and to the sides.
- As the barbell reaches its highest point, quickly drop underneath it, rotating your elbows around and catching the barbell on your shoulders in a front squat position.
- Stand up with the barbell, fully extending your hips and knees.
- Lower the barbell back down to the starting position, keeping control of the weight throughout the movement.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Keep the bar close, extend the hips fully and let the legs, not the arms, generate the speed.
Muscles worked
Primary
Hamstrings · Legs
The hamstrings load in the hang position and extend the hip through the pull, which is where most of the speed comes from.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms early — the arms are just hooks until the hips have fully extended; if the elbows bend before the bar reaches the thighs, you have lost the power.
- Catching with a soft rack — on a clean the elbows should come through fast and the bar should sit on the shoulders, not in the hands; if the wrists take the weight, work on elbow speed.
- Rushing the first pull — the bar should leave the floor at a controlled speed with the back set, and the speed comes in the second pull from the hips.
- Looping the bar — the bar should travel straight up and stay close; if it swings out and back you are muscling it with the arms.
Where it fits in a workout
Olympic lifts go first in a session, before squats or deadlifts, while you are fresh and explosive. Pair a clean with a front squat to make a complex.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without barbell
Easier and harder
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.