Olympic lifts exercise
Mid-Thigh Pull
Train the power position with the lowest technical demand of any Olympic derivative.
- Equipment
- Barbell, bumper plates, rack
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- X0X0
Setup
Barbell at the crease of the hip or mid-thigh, knees soft, torso near-vertical.
How to do it
- Start with the bar at mid-thigh, knees slightly bent and your torso close to vertical, then drive the floor away and extend explosively, finishing tall.
- Do 3 to 5 sets of 3 reps at 90 to 120% of your clean 1RM.
- Starting too low turns this into a Romanian deadlift and loses the point entirely.
- This is the easiest derivative to coach and the fastest to make useful.
Coaching cues
- Bar at the hip crease, torso near-vertical
- Drive the floor away
- Finish tall, no arm pull
Common mistakes
- Starting too low so it becomes an RDL
- Tugging with the arms instead of extending
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 90 to 120% of clean 1RM | 3 to 5 | 3 | 3 min |
Tempo X0X0: Every rep is fast: no slow lowering and no pauses.
Related exercises
- Push JerkExpress overhead power with a receiving position under the bar.
- Power CleanDevelop whole-body explosive power through triple extension.
- Hang Power CleanTrain explosive triple extension without the floor-to-knee phase that stalls most beginners.
- Clean PullGet the power stimulus of a clean without needing the rack position.
- Box JumpExpress concentric jumping power with a low landing cost.
- Countermovement JumpTrain and test elastic jumping power.