Question
I don’t remember you ever mentioning power cleans. I’d like to do them to add another explosive move in addition to sprints, but I find it hard to have the capacity for them given all the other leg/back work that I do.
What’s your take on them and where are they in your priority list for someone looking for overall strength and conditioning?
Answer
Like most lifts, there are plenty of pros and cons associated with doing power cleans. Here are my overall thoughts:
Pros
- Power cleans are certainly a valid exercise
- Big compound lift
- You can use what I’ll call a moderate but not maximum weight
- Moderate still works, because Force = Mass x Acceleration
- Useful in building explosive power
- Some of the best backs I’ve seen are due to power cleans
Cons
- Results are highly dependent on technique
- There isn’t a lot of coaching resources for the Olympic lifts
- Very similar to something like the deadlift, tough to master
- Must be performed first in a workout, because to perform this lift in a fatigued state is really asking for it
- Which brings me to Crossfit, a fantastic way to get hurt IMO
- Power clean and other ballistic lifts can be hard on the joints
- There’s really no negative, which we know is responsible for much of the re-molding and re-building of muscle tissue
Bottom Line
Do them and see if they work better at building your back vs. deadlifts, trap bar deadlifts etc as a main movement
If you do decide to use it as a core movement, dedicate an entire day to perfecting your technique, adding more weight and otherwise using them for overload.
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