As you know, Olympic weightlifting consists of two exercises: the snatch and the clean & jerk. The clean is not only the first integral part of the clean & jerk but also a whole separate exercise. It has plenty of variations that are used in different sports to develop explosive strength, the power of knee and hip extension, and improve initial running velocity and stability in the athletic position.

If we put the clean technique in a nutshell, it has 3 main blocks: 

– acceleration;

– сatch;

– recovery.

No doubt that each block is equally important. However, since our question today is “how to improve power in the clean?”, we will talk in detail about exercises aimed to improve important positions, step up the accelerating power of the bar, and, thus, the whole clean. 

It is obvious that the proper technique and angles, strong and explosive legs, and optimal mobility are not a secret weapon, but rather a vital condition that makes powerful clean possible. You can find more HERE. 

How To Improve Power In The Clean

Let’s go into more detail about 4 exercises that help answer how to improve power in the clean.

Exercise 1 – Muscle Squat Clean

This is the exercise that teaches you to involve the legs first up to the full knee extension and then switch to the arms in the turnover to rotate the elbows.

• In order to perform the exercise properly, stay flat-footed in the pull as long as you can with shoulders above the bar and relaxed arms. The best weight range for this skill is up to 50-60%.

Accurate and consistent leg and arm work is essential to gain the most power in the clean. By the way, I often combine this exercise with the clean pull till power position, which comes first in a set. Find out the explanation below. 

Exercise 2 – Clean Pull Till Power Position + Clean

The Clean Pull till power position + CLEAN is one of the most effective sets to boost power.

The clean pull is performed up to the middle of the thigh with almost complete knee straightening, but shoulders always remain above the bar, covering it; arms are relaxed, the trajectory of the bar movement is as close to the trunk as possible. After the pull, the athlete slowly lowers the bar along the same trajectory and after touching the floor immediately performs the clean, keeping the same angles in movement.

The first part of the set (the clean pull till power position) makes you feel just the right angle of the power position and slow lowering helps find the most effective starting position for successful clean. 

The feature of this exercise is that the athlete each time alternates the pull and clean. The complex can be used both for tech development on small weights and for full training. This contributes to better skill development. The recommended load: up to 90%, 2-4 sets, 1-2 blocks per exercise.

Exercise 3 – Deficit Clean

Performing the Clean from the stand (height can vary on average from 4 to 8 cm, depending on the athlete’s height and training purposes) extends the path of the barbell and consequently increases the load on the back and leg muscles. So this drill is very beneficial for strength and power development.

In fact, this is a regular Clean, which is performed under complicated conditions. Also, it demands increased flexibility in the lower back and knee ankle joints. More Clean variations you can find in my CLEAN Masterclass.

Exercise 4 – Reverse Clean Pull with 3 Stops

Most of my seminar athletes are well familiar with a lighter version of this exercise with two 3-second pauses at above- and under-knee level with minimal weight. This progression helps you learn the proper pull trajectory quickly and effectively.  

But I have a more advanced variation for the most powerful movement. I recommend doing the clean deadlift with three 3-second pauses on the way down: 

– above the knees;

– under the knees;

– at the lift-off level (1 cm above the platform)

I have to say that it is a killer exercise, but very effective at the same time if you work with up to 85% from your 1-rep max clean & jerk for 2-3 reps up to 4 sets.

Since this exercise is followed by a rather long recovery and vivid muscle soreness, don’t plan it more often than once in two weeks.

It goes without saying that power in the clean is an essential part of your result both in the clean and clean & jerk and this is why you must know how to improve power in the clean. But, as you remember from the beginning of the article, it is only a half of success because, after a powerful explosion, there is the catch & recovery waiting for you.

And we will talk about it next time! 

Sincerely yours, Oleksiy Torokhtiy!

Warm BODY Cold MIND

Read More: 15 Clean Workouts for Better Weightlifting Skills

Mental preparation is one of the most frequent questions at my seminars. As soon as it arises, I know for sure that there is no simple answer: this topic contains too many intricacies.

Athletes wonder how to overcome the fear of heavy weights, cope with anxiety before a competition, and get the courage to hit new records.  

Psychological (or mental) preparation is as crucial as physical one. You should train not only joints, muscles, and tendons, but also your head. No doubt, psychological stability doesn’t emerge at a competition but is constantly developed at a gym.  

3 Expert Tips to Improve your Mental Game for Olympic Weightlifting

I’d like to share 3 tips on how to improve your mental game for Olympic weightlifting:

Tip 1. Perform at competitions more often to gain confidence on the platform.

Competitions are always stressful for athletes of all levels. Everyone is worried, everyone is scared – it’s OK!

The only way to cope with that is to compete. However, there are 2 points to remember: 

A. The less experience you have, the more often you should take part in competitions.

Beginners (with up to 2 years of training, especially young athletes) can perform every 3-5 weeks; experienced weightlifters (more than 2 years) – 6-8 times a year; advanced athletes (more than 4-5 years into weightlifting) – around 4 times. 

B. A competition is NOT an attempt to set a personal record.

A common mistake among newbies and often even coaches is to think that once an athlete is on the platform, they must bust a gut to perform at 103%.

Yes, in another reality we all strive for that though it is not always necessary.

Use competitions to learn how to go six-for-six on a regular basis, get used to a stressful environment and “the pace” of such events.

Therefore, it is not reasonable to constantly push an athlete towards new records. Sometimes, it’s better just to feel the vibe and accrue competition experience.  

I share more details on this topic in my book Competition Day – X.

Tip 2. Improve your Mental Game for Olympic Weightlifting, Trick your “Glass Ceiling” 

Athletes tend to impose some limits on themselves and dread breaking them even if their muscles are completely ready.

My coach used to call it “a glass ceiling”. Personally, I’ve stumbled across 3 such ceilings at different stages of my career, and all in the snatch: 100, 132,5 and 180 kg. Don’t ask me why – I have no idea)))

The best strategy is to trick your “glass ceiling” with the help of particular methods and exercises. 

There are various solutions: 

– Lifting lighter weight for more reps. 

– Choosing “more comfortable” positions for an exercise: the high hang snatch or the snatch from blocks. 

– Using straps.

– A good way to gain confidence in the snatch is to boost the Snatch Push PRESS up to 110-120% from 1RM: holding a new heavy weight overhead makes you more confident. 

– Split the clean and the jerk to lift records separately and then put everything together. 

One of my friends couldn’t snatch 100 kilos till he lifted 95 kg for 6 reps. 

Another one always arranged a PR session in the snatch from blocks and only after that lifted from a platform. 

The third one used to do the jerk behind the neck before a PR session in the clean & jerk. 

My problem throughout my whole career was the snatch confidence. In peak condition, when I snatched 200 kg, my Snatch Push PRESS was 240. It was kind of a psychological relief. 

Tip 3. Get Used to “New-Big” Numbers. 

Any weightlifting result is measured in numbers. Thus, their magic as well as the competition barbell strongly affects all athletes.

It happens that a new weight becomes both a dream and a serious obstacle. It can be a particular number that makes your heart beat faster or additional plates on a bar. For example, 100 is a turning point for most athletes: first, in the squats, then in the clean & jerk, and finally in the snatch. The same happens with a competition barbell: for example, snatching red plates, then two pairs of them, and so on.   

In my opinion, the best way to cope with “new-big” numbers is visualization.

Set your dream weight on a cellphone or laptop screen, and hang a poster above a desk or bed. In the national team, we used to hang a paper with numbers on the wall near our working platform and write it on every page of a training diary. 

Finally, you should teach your brain that these “new-big” numbers are not something that causes panic, fear, or sends your pulse to space. It is your inevitable future or, perhaps, even present. 

And when my athletes ask what is the best short phrase to improve your mental game for Olympic weightlifting, I answer right away: Warm Body – Cold Mind.

Learn More: Improve your Mental Game for Olympic Weightlifting

How to build overhead strength and balance for weightlifting

How to set new Squat PBs

My coaching experience, observation, and communication with many athletes around the world show that they like the clean, they more or less are okay with the snatch and most of them don’t like or do not understand the jerk movement.

How to Build Overhead Strength and Balance for Olympic weightlifting

The reason for the dislike of the later ones is the need to hold a bar above one’s head and, moreover, do it with your hands straight. This point tends to be a huge challenge while lifting heavy weights in extreme training or competition environment. 

Source: Aleksey Torokhtiy

In this article, I will walk you through three helpful exercises by implementing which you will get to a new overhead strength and balance level in just a month. 

1. SNATCH OVERHEAD SQUAT “OHS”

It is a basic exercise that is often used by coaches as a test for newbies to check their mobility and balance. When I first came to a weightlifting gym, I failed it because of poor mobility. After years of training, I managed to lift 220 kilos/ 485 pounds in this exercise. 

In this video, my OHS is 205 kilos.

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Recommended load:

My advice is to add 1-3 reps of OHS to every set of the snatch during the warmup (up to 60% from 1RM of the SNATCH). It helps prepare your body, establishes balance, and, therefore,  improves stability in the overhead position. 

2. SNATCH PUSH PRESS

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It is a strength exercise for adjusting the overhead position. An athlete holds a bar on the shoulders with a wide grip, performs the dip and drive, and after the full leg extension presses the bar out till the lockout and fixes it above the head. Doing the SNATCH PUSH PRESS even once a week, you may increase this exercise result up to 105-110% from 1RM in the snatch and enhance both overhead strength and balance and confidence for working with new snatch weights.

How to Build Overhead Strength and Balance for Olympic weightlifting

Recommended load: 

Option “А”: If you have 3 or fewer training sessions a week, I advise adding 1-3 reps of the SNATCH PUSH PRESS to every snatch set during the warmup (up to 60% from 1RM of SNATCH). It will prepare the body and toughen upper body muscles for a solid overhead position.

Option “В”: If you have 4 or more training sessions a week, I advise adding a separate workout (apart from the option “A”) with a combination of the SNATCH PUSH PRESS and OHS in one set: 

Example:

3 reps * PUSH PRESS + 3 reps * OHS up to 85% from 1RM of SNATCH

3. SNATCH BALANCE

Any athlete, who performs the snatch, knows that they need incredible precision and balance to catch a bar at speed and firmly fix it above the head.

This exercise particularly targets coordination, speed, precision, and balance in the receiving position.

Recommended load:

Option “А”: If you have 3 or fewer training sessions a week, add 1-3 reps of SNATCH BALANCE to every snatch set during the warmup (up to 60% from 1RM of SNATCH).

Option “В”:  If you have 4 or more training sessions a week, add a separate workout (apart from the option “A”) with a combination of the SNATCH PUSH PRESS, SNATCH BALANCE, and OHS in one set. 

Example:

2 reps * PUSH PRESS + 2 reps * SNATCH BALANCE + 2 reps * OHS up to 75% from 1RM of SNATCH.

BONUS:

Find two auxiliary strength jerk exercises below: 

MILITARY PRESS with RUBBER BANDS

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The main purpose of this exercise is to involve tiny upper body muscles and strengthen core stabilizers.

You shouldn’t rush for heavy loads but rather work with comfortable ones. The main point is to hold the weight above the head and fix a barbell in that position despite oscillations created by the plates hung on rubber bands. There are two ways of performing this exercise:

1. A very slow press – this option is perfect for strengthening weak shoulders and post-injury recovery;     
2. A more aggressive press – at the stage of fixing, plates will give more oscillations so it takes more time to stabilize the position. 

SPLIT PRESS + OHS

It is a great coordination and strength complex for improving the OH position in jerk. Using the split stance, an athlete presses a bar from the chest or from behind the neck (a combination is also possible) and then performs the OH split squats. In order to develop stability, you better choose NOT heavy weights and do more reps. 

Example: 

SPLIT PRESS + OHS: 6+6 reps for RIGHT side + 6+6 reps for LEFT side

You may have noticed that mainly snatch exercises focus on overhead strength and balance. The reason is that the wide (snatch) grip is more effective for balance training and stabilizers enhancement, especially when it comes to beginners. By the way, professional athletes (Asians in particular) also use the JERK OVERHEAD SQUAT and JERK BALANCE. 

Yet, don’t forget to work in other positions and planes. Therefore, you should definitely include in your training plan those exercises from the BONUS part. 

Also I would like to remind to all BOXROX readers the you can find a bunch of awesome training programs on torokhty.com

Crossfitters and competitive fitness athletes might be especially interested in EMOM weightlifting and WL4CF, because completing these 2 programs will definitely increase Olympic weightlifting skills, training capacity and results in snatch and clean & jerk. So go for it now!

Keep in mind that overhead stability demands not only physical strength but also joint mobility, muscle flexibility as well as patience and proper load planning.

A Ukranian lifter that has competed on the Olympic stage, he will explain what personally works for him, and how you can apply that to your own training.

As the ongoing Russian invasion continues, we ask you to support Ukranian companies and check out his wesbite and training programs.

Over to Oleksiy…

The development of power and strength in almost all sports is associated with knee and hip extension, which is why Squats are an integral part of any strength training.

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How to Set New Squat PBs

Depending on the stage and goals of training, your coach can set different purposes for the athlete, from the maximum weight to the maximum number of reps with weight equal to his body weight.

In this article, we will discuss How to Set a New Squat Personal Best.

There is a saying among weightlifters and powerlifters: “Descending with a heavy barbell is easy, but recovery is way more difficult.”

Therefore, keep my TOP 5 tips in mind. They will help you not only get down, but also stand up again with a barbell, and progress in Back Squat as a result.

How to Set Squat PBs – Training Tips

TIP #1: Control the Movement

Doing the Back Squat, up to 80% of your 1 RM, try to perform the descending phase slowly and explode back up quickly and with great power.

If you find it difficult to control yourself, I recommend that you try counting as follows during the lowering:

Count of 3-4 seconds with weight up to 50%;

Count of 2-3 seconds with a weight of 50 to 80%;

Count of 2 seconds for weights from 80% and upwards.

Why is it important?

– This will help to control of the center of gravity and optimise biomechanics. By descending slowly, you will always have less chance of making a mistake.

– You create additional muscle work in the eccentric mode. By descending slowly, you increase the time under tension (TUT), which means you train the muscles when you are moving both down and up.

TIP #2: Add Front Squat into your Training

By practicing Front Squat at least once a week, you will develop leg strength and develop your back, abdomen and core strength.

What is important here is that you establish a reliable and safe hold on the barbell as it rests on the shoulders.

Many athletes believe that Front Squats are the same as Back Squats, but they have different biomechanics.

Generally, if you don’t have mobility issues, you should be able to Front Squat 70-80% of your best result in Back Squat, but it’s not necessary to go so high and working in a 50-60% zone will be enough, if you have never tried it before.

Why is it Important?

– Body stability training will allow you to perform squats without disturbing the spinal position.

– In the front squat, the muscles of the legs and back work in slightly different “angles”. This increases the variability of the workout, which also improves the result.

TIP #3: Pause Back Squat

Adding a 2-second pause to your squats will make your back squat more reliable in the bottom position.

I recommend doing Paused Back Squat no more than once a week, starting with light weights and working your way up to medium and/or above average.

It is important to squat to the maximum depth and stretch the leg muscles as much as possible, but at the same time maintain good position with the torso (NO butt wink).

Why is it Important?

– This will allow the body to build a stability in the bottom position.

– It will developing the starting force necessary for effective switching from the eccentric mode to the overcoming one.

TIP #4: Lifting Shoes & Belt

Weightlifting shoes are recommended as they will help you squat deeper.

They make it more comfortable and balanced, especially if you have limited ankle mobility.

This problem is very common among beginner and intermediate athletes. The firm sole and lacing/strapping systems will give you more stability when working with the barbell.

As for the belt, from my experience, I would say that this is not necessary. And even if you are already using a lifting belt, I recommend wearing it at 70% or higher to keep your muscles in good shape.

TIP #5: Solid Training Program

Remember that a new result will take time and, most importantly, consistency.

Without consistency, everything that was described in the previous 4 topics will not make sense.

If you want to add new kilos to your squat, from my experience, I would advise:

– give yourself at least 5 weeks of training if you were already in good shape

– 9 weeks or more if you have had a break or have returned from vacation and are just starting your training again.

The number of workouts:

Minimum – 3 times a week

Optimal – 5 times a week

You can download my solid Leg Killer program here.

In conclusion, a few “secret” champion tips for quality progress:

The best way to be successful is by working together as a team! 

Try to organize a team of 3 like-minded people who all commit to reaching their goals. The rivalry will motivate you not to miss training and make sure you hit every session at 101%. 

And don’t forget to keep a Warm Body & Cold Mind!