How to Do Power Clean

Start and end of one clean rep of Power Clean.

Quick facts

How to perform Power Clean

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes pointing out slightly.
2. Squat down and grasp bar with a closed, pronated grip. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart outside knees with elbows fully extended.
3. Place the bar about 1 inch in front of your shins and over the balls of your feet.
4. Your back should be flat or slightly arched, your chest held up and out and your shoulder blades should be retracted.
5. Keep your head in a neutral position (in line with vertebral column and not tilted or rotated) with your eyes focused straight ahead. Inhale during this phase.
6. Lift the bar from the floor by forcefully extending the hips and the knees as you exhale. Tip: The upper torso should maintain the same angle. Do not bend at the waist yet and do not let the hips rise before the shoulders (this would have the effect of pushing the glutes in the air and stretching the hamstrings.
7. Keep elbows fully extended with the head in a neutral position and the shoulders over the bar.
8. As the bar raises keep it as close to the shins as possible.
9. As the bar passes the knees, thrust your hips forward and slightly bend the knees to avoid locking them. Tip: At this point your thighs should be against the bar.
10. Keep the back flat or slightly arched, elbows fully extended and your head neutral. Tip: You will hold your breath until the next phase.
11. Inhale and then forcefully and quickly extend your hips and knees and stand on your toes.
12. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible. Tip: Your back should be flat with the elbows pointed out to the sides and your head in a neutral position. Also, keep your shoulders over the bar and arms straight as long as possible.
13. When your lower body joints are fully extended, shrug the shoulders upward rapidly without letting the elbows flex yet. Exhale during this portion of the movement.
14. As the shoulders reach their highest elevation flex your elbows to begin pulling your body under the bar.
15. Continue to pull the arms as high and as long as possible. Tip: Due to the explosive nature of this phase, your torso will be erect or with an arched back, your head will be tilted back slightly and your feet may lose contact with the floor.
16. After the lower body has fully extended and the bar reaches near maximal height, pull your body under the bar and rotate the arms around and under the bar.
17. Simultaneously, flex the hips and knees into a quarter squat position.
18. Once the arms are under the bar, inhale and then lift your elbows to position the upper arms parallel to the floor. Rack the bar across the front of your collar bones and front shoulder muscles.
19. Catch the bar with an erect and tight torso, a neutral head position and flat feet. Exhale during this movement.
20. Stand up by extending the hips and knees to a fully erect position.
21. Lower the bar by gradually reducing the muscular tension of the arms to allow a controlled descent of the bar to the thighs. Inhale during this movement.
22. Simultaneously flex the hips and knees to cushion the impact of the bar on the thighs.
23. Squat down with the elbows fully extended until the bar touches the floor.
24. Start over at Phase 1 and repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles worked

• Hamstrings (primary): bends the knee and extends the hip through hinges and pulls.
• Calves (secondary): points the foot to power push-off and steady the ankle.
• Forearms (secondary): controls your grip and keeps the wrist steady under load.
• Glutes (secondary): extends and stabilises the hip — the engine behind hinges, squats and sprints.
• Core (secondary): braces the trunk and resists twisting to protect the spine.
• Back (secondary): pulls the arms down and toward the torso and keeps the spine stable.
• Quads (secondary): extends the knee to drive squats, lunges and jumps.
• Shoulders (secondary): raises and rotates the arms and drives everything overhead.
• Triceps (secondary): straightens the elbow to lock out every press and pushdown.

Sets & reps by goal

Pick the row that matches your goal. If you're newer, anchor in the hypertrophy range while you groove the form.

Form tips

• Lead with the hips, keep a soft knee and hold a long, flat back through the hinge.
• Keep the bar path close and stacked over your mid-foot; letting it drift forward wastes force and loads the lower back.
• Treat every rep the same — a repeatable setup and bar path is what lets you add weight safely over time.
• Control the lowering phase — a 2–3 second descent builds more than dropping the weight.

Common mistakes

• Rounding the lower back to reach lower instead of hinging at the hips.
• Loading the bar heavier than your form allows and turning strict reps into a whole-body heave.
• Chasing weight jumps before the current load feels solid on every rep.

Frequently asked questions