Olympic lifts exercise
Hang Power Clean
Train explosive triple extension without the floor-to-knee phase that stalls most beginners.
- Equipment
- Barbell, bumper plates
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- X0X0
Setup
Barbell held at mid-thigh or just above the knee, shoulders over the bar, knees soft.
How to do it
- Hinge to the hang position with your shoulders over the bar, then violently extend your hips, knees and ankles and catch the bar on your shoulders in a quarter squat with your elbows forward.
- Do 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 3 reps at 65 to 85%.
- This is a good entry point into Olympic lifting for rugby, because it removes the hardest part to learn: the pull from the floor.
Coaching cues
- Hinge to the hang, don't squat to it
- Full extension before the arms bend
- Catch in a quarter squat, elbows forward
Common mistakes
- Squatting down into the hang rather than hinging
- Pulling early with the arms instead of extending the hips
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 65 to 85% of 1RM | 3 to 5 | 2 to 3 | 3 min |
Tempo X0X0: Every rep is fast: no slow lowering and no pauses.
Related exercises
- Clean PullGet the power stimulus of a clean without needing the rack position.
- Mid-Thigh PullTrain the power position with the lowest technical demand of any Olympic derivative.
- Push JerkExpress overhead power with a receiving position under the bar.
- Power CleanDevelop whole-body explosive power through triple extension.
- Box JumpExpress concentric jumping power with a low landing cost.
- Countermovement JumpTrain and test elastic jumping power.