The clean is everyone’s favourite lift, unless you prefer the snatch…or the jerk, either way it is my favourite lift! Before I start this article, please take heed of two (obvious but important) things that need to be done on top of all these tips,
- you need to be squatting two-three times per week front squat and back squat
- you need to be doing cleans, cleans pulls and a lot of repetitions.
These tips will help you get those big weights flying onto your shoulders!
1 GET THE BEST RACK POSITION YOU CAN
A strong rack position improves your chances of standing up out of a heavy clean. It is common for beginners to struggle with the position as people often have incredibly tight lats and triceps. Rolling the lats, triceps and wrists and stretching them during your warm up will help get those elbows higher and the bar comfortably resting on the shoulders whilst gripping the bar.
Stretching out using the bar is also a fantastic way to improve it, place the barbell into the back squat position, and use the weight of the bar to rotate one elbow up at a time whilst keeping the hands on the bar and the body straight.
Tip: If you have to sacrifice gripping the bar in the rack position to have your elbows up, sacrifice the grip and open your hands.