Power Clean

The Power Clean, when done correctly is one of the most explosive movements that can be performed in the weight room and therefore should be a part of every athletes training program.

On the other hand...

The power clean is one of the most technically demanding movements that can be performed in the weight room and therefore is a high risk movement. If not done properly injuries will (not can, they will...) occur! If you do not have a coach that is a great coach (not competent, GREAT) at teaching the power clean, do not attempt it!

How's that for both sides of the fence?

Coach Dan

From my experience, the Power Clean is more technical and difficult than 90% of HS weight rooms can handle. There is usually little training or teaching going on in HS weight rooms, as well as alot of socialilizing.

It is scary to think that some HS have such little supervision going on. As CoachDAN says, only do this with a reputable coach that has Experience.

Good Luck!

I think cleans are a great exercise personally, however there are plenty of people, many baseball coaches included who have a disdain for them. My personal theory is that since baseball requires many explosive short duration sprints, why not train with the clean as it hits the same energy systems. However, after reading some of Joe Defranco's stuff, I began to reconsider.

"Q: Although I love your “training pics”, I noticed you don’t have any of your athletes performing any power cleans. Don’t you feel that the Olympic lifts are essential for athletes? If not, how do you get your athletes explosive?
Thanks.

Mike R.

A: Mike,
I train my athletes like athletes, not Olympic weightlifters. The reason why I’m not a huge fan of the Olympic lifts is that they take a long time to teach. That is, if you teach them correctly. Also, most athletes are horrible at the Olympic lifts. The reason why most athletes aren’t great at the Olympic lifts is usually because they aren’t strong enough in the right places. After assessing an athlete’s power clean or power snatch form, I usually conclude that their technique flaws are due to a lack of hamstring, glute and low-back strength. This assessment usually means that I end up prescribing more trap-bar deadlifts, reverse hyperextensions, glute-ham raises, etc. This is called the TRAINING ECONOMY. Getting stronger in the deadlift, reverse hyper & glute-ham raise will improve your power clean, but it doesn’t work the other way around. Basically, I choose the exercises that give my athletes the best “bang for their buck”.

You also asked me how I get my athletes “explosive” if I don’t do a lot of power cleans. Here’s my answer: Most people say that they like the Olympic lifts because they are “fast”. Most coaches can’t accept the fact that any lift can be “fast”! For example, one day a week I use box squats with sub-maximal weights as an “explosive” exercise for my athletes. For an athlete who can squat 505lbs., I might use 315lbs. for multiple sets of 2 reps. The athlete would perform these reps as fast as possible. Since 315lbs. represents about 60% of his 1-rep max, science has proven that the weight is heavy enough to produce enough force, yet light enough to produce enough speed. And we should all know that speed X strength = power.

This same athlete would probably only be able to perform power cleans with about 225lbs. So I ask you this question, “Would you rather be explosive with 225lbs. or 315lbs.?” I’d rather have my athletes move heavier weights faster.

In conclusion, it’s not that I don’t like power cleans or that I never do them, I just feel that there are usually quicker, more efficient ways to achieve certain goals.
Hope this clears things up a bit.

Joe D."

http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_03-09-12.htm#question02


Basically, I still do cleans, but I am more conscious of improving strength in deficient areas.

I would never reommend cleans to anybody other than an Olympic lifter. The cost/benefit ratio is not in you favor.

Performing thses lifts is based on the notion, mostly erroneous, that training explosively in the weght room makes you more explosive on the baseball field. Although this concept appears, on first glance to be intuitively self-evident,it is not. For a few reasons.
1) If THAT were true then the converse would be true. That is,training slowly would make you slower. Does anybody think if you gained 15 lbs of muscle by using a controlled rep speed you'r bat speed would be slower?

2) Rep Speed isn't that simple. E.G., if you lift a heavy weight , or any weight on your last couple reps, you may attemmpt to lift very expolsively but the rep speed may be very slow.

3) muscles fibers are used according to need. If you performed a movement very quickly ,but with light weight, you probably utilize as many fast twich fibers as you would if you lifted a heavier weight even though you moved it very slowly.

'core strength' is the current buzzword in training.

It's simply the muscles in you abdomen and lower back area; something that's been around for decades. Just repackaged with a glitzy new name. "Core "sounds good though .

These muscles can be worked effectively with numerous exercises.