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Sho
07-11-09, 12:32 pm
Im struggling a bit at the jumping point and could use some advise.

I seem to be fine for my first 4 sets of like 155 185, but as soon as i throw 2 wheels on each side it takes allllot of mental focus to get those last couple up.

just wondering if there is any assistance work i can do to increase my clean strength.

PS. I dont clean and then front squat the weight up, i just gun it up to my shoulders with as little leg power as necessary. dont know if this is the wrong technique or not..

Young&Hungry
07-11-09, 3:35 pm
Im struggling a bit at the jumping point and could use some advise.

I seem to be fine for my first 4 sets of like 155 185, but as soon as i throw 2 wheels on each side it takes allllot of mental focus to get those last couple up.

just wondering if there is any assistance work i can do to increase my clean strength.

PS. I dont clean and then front squat the weight up, i just gun it up to my shoulders with as little leg power as necessary. dont know if this is the wrong technique or not..

What most people don't understand is that there is no "jump" phase of the lift. Guys who literally jump off the floor with the bar are generally not very strong. If you watch any good olympic lifter, the highest position their feet will be in is coming up on their toes in the highest position as possible (like the apex of a calf raise). Many lifters have their toes briefly break contact with the floor, but like I said it is brief and they are not "jumping" with the weight per se.

Assistance exercises would be high hang cleans, 3 position cleans, RDL's, front squats, clean grip power shrugs, clean pulls, cleans off blocks, and various types of plyometrics. If you are serious about your olympic lifts, you absolutely need to be proficient in the squat clean. If not and you're just pursuing the lift casually, then who cares. But don't expect significant progress if you can't break down and train every angle of the lift.

BigChrisF
07-11-09, 9:44 pm
Its a technique that is called jumping down. You are not jumping in the traditional sense. When you get the weight shrugged up high enough, you lift your legs up fast enough that your feet come off the ground before your body can drop and duck under the bar.

If you intend on increasing your Clean and Jerk or your Snatch, front squatting is important as well as flexibility. You should also try doing some high pulls. This is where you have a weight heavy enough that you can't really clean it, but then shrug it up to about mid chest like you are starting a clean.

t_mh
07-12-09, 12:38 am
Rippetoe:
"...it shows a problem known as a Donkey Kick. As the jump occurs, the heels come up in the back and then stomp back down into place. This is a terrible waste of time and energy, and contributes nothing to making the bar go up. Stop doing this immediately or I will have you killed."

Dedicated
07-12-09, 12:46 am
I was taught the power clean poorly originally in high school. When I started working with a college strength coach he ripped my form to pieces and I had to drop about 50 pounds to do it correctly. I don't clean anymore since I'm out of sports, but I never could fully stop "jumping". It's just a muscle memory thing I suppose.

Also, stretching really helped me with these. During one off season, I stretched a lot and my clean shot up tremendously. May have just been coincidence, but worked for me.

MVP
07-12-09, 3:21 am
Rippetoe:
"...it shows a problem known as a Donkey Kick. As the jump occurs, the heels come up in the back and then stomp back down into place. This is a terrible waste of time and energy, and contributes nothing to making the bar go up. Stop doing this immediately or I will have you killed."

^ This.

When it comes to squats, deadlifts, and power clean form - there is no one better to listen to than Mark Rippetoe.

rev8ball
07-12-09, 4:49 am
The clean is primarily an explosive movement from the legs. Your legs can generate a shit-load more force and power than your shoulders could ever dream, so use them to your advantage.

At the top of the lift, your lower body should be in what is called Triple Extension, that is, the hips, knees, and ankles are extended. Your feet should never completely leave the ground, however; a foot that is not in contact with the ground cannot generate force. Think of it as a car jumping off a ramp: when all 4 wheels are not in contact with the ground, it doesn't really matter how much you slam the brakes or hit the gas.

As the bar travels up from the force produced by the legs, the idea is to drop the body under the bar and catch it. You really shouldn't be pulling the bar that much.

It's all about force and speed.......

Sho
07-12-09, 11:46 am
sorry i didn't make it clear before, but im not jumping of the ground in anyway, my feet never leave the ground, im not too sure if my heels come up during the lift ive never thought about it, i dont have anyone to coach me and nitpick my form. so you guys are saying at all times my feet should stay 100% planted while doing the clean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tXcS0Xp1aE

rippetoe doesn't give this guy any shit for his jump. so jump no jump? really confused.

BigChrisF
07-12-09, 9:32 pm
Your feet don't leave the floor on the initial push off the floor, and you are pulling tremendously as you shrug the bar up. Your feet leave the floor when you are ducking your body under the bar as I described above.

Young&Hungry
07-12-09, 9:48 pm
sorry i didn't make it clear before, but im not jumping of the ground in anyway, my feet never leave the ground, im not too sure if my heels come up during the lift ive never thought about it, i dont have anyone to coach me and nitpick my form. so you guys are saying at all times my feet should stay 100% planted while doing the clean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tXcS0Xp1aE

rippetoe doesn't give this guy any shit for his jump. so jump no jump? really confused.

That is a great looking power clean. I thought you meant some stupid overexaggerated jump like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xySMe3rWbU&feature=related

Not to knock Rippetoe or anything as he is a tremendous no BS coach, but when learning the olympic lifts I would stick to people who are more directly involved with the sport (ie Mike Burgener and Tommy Kono). They have great instructional videos that are around somewhere on Youtube.

Sho
07-13-09, 1:01 am
sweet! thanks for the posts.

MVP
07-13-09, 2:11 am
rippetoe doesn't give this guy any shit for his jump. so jump no jump? really confused.

Rippetoe clearly explains jumping at the end of the video. Watch it again.