Clean Pull
Set up as for a clean, you lift the bar past your knees and finish with an explosive extension and shrug, with no catch, training legs, hips, back and traps.
- Primary muscles
- Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes, Upper back, Lower back, Traps
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The clean pull isolates the part of the clean that produces the power, so weightlifters use it to get stronger in the pull and to practice good positions. Without the catch, you can usually handle more weight than in your clean and focus on staying over the bar and finishing the extension. It also suits lifters who want explosive hip work but lack the mobility for a front squat catch. It's still technical, so build up with light weight.
How to do it
Stand with the bar over your midfoot, feet hip-width apart, and grip it overhand just outside your legs.
Set your back flat with your shoulders slightly over the bar, then push the floor away to lift the bar past your knees.
As the bar reaches mid-thigh, extend your hips, knees and ankles explosively and shrug your shoulders.
There's no catch. Let the bar come back down and reset for the next rep, keeping it close to your body throughout.
Common mistakes
Pulling with your arms
Bending your elbows early takes the snap out of your hips and legs. Keep your arms long and let the shrug at the top be the only upper-body pull.
Rushing off the floor
Yanking the bar off the floor throws you out of position before the explosive part. Lift it smoothly past your knees, then accelerate hard.
Cutting the extension short
Shrugging before your hips and knees fully extend misses the point of the exercise. Finish tall on the balls of your feet, then shrug.
Leaning back at the top
Throwing your shoulders behind the bar sends it away from you. Extend straight up and keep the bar close to your body.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
