Sara_Cheatham
New member
The clean is a finesse drill, meaning the difference between a solid, safe clean and a bruising clean, is in the details.
Step 1: Starting Position
From the quarter-squat position, reach out and grip the bell with one hand. The bell should be placed about a foot in front and center of you. With one hand on the bell, do not be tempted to place the other hand on your leg or hip. Leave the non-working hand free, out to the side. Look straight down at your bell, keeping the neck in line with the rest of the spine. The starting clean position is the same as the starting swing position.
Step 2: The Loading Phase
You should feel the hamstrings and glutes load as you hike the bell back, between your legs. The forearm should be close to the groin, even touching the inner thigh, on the back swing. Keep your neck elongated as the bell moves back. As soon as the bell clears your hips, quickly reverse the movement.
Step 3: The Rack Position
Snap the hips forward after the hike pass, just as you would in a kettlebell swing, only, do not over power the movement for the clean. Do not under power the hip snap either. An over-powered hip snap on a clean will surely give the bell enough energy to bruise your forearm. An under-powered clean will not give the bell enough energy to make it into the rack, and will result in more of a cheat curl than an effortless clean. As you progress, you will find just the right amount of power to get the bell from the hiked position to the raked position.
As the bell swings forward from the hiked position, keep the upper arm attached to the upper body. The upper arm should stick to the rib cage in order to keep the bell from arcing too far away from the body and incidentally banging the wrist. A tighter arc results in a much less painful clean.
Another technique to keep from banging the wrist is, as the bell reaches belly button level, aggressively pull the bell toward you then immediately punch through the kettlebell handle.
The bell should land comfortably in the ‘V’ made by the upper and lower arm. As the bell lands in the ‘V’ of your arm, brace the abdomen as though someone were to punch you in the gut. Your glutes should also be tight at the top of the racked position to protect your low back. Bracing the abdomen and squeezing the glutes will help absorb the shock of the bell.
In the proper racked position, the bell should rest low and comfortably in the ‘V’ of your arm with the shoulder sunken and relaxed and the wrist straight.
Conclusion
Finally, DO NOT OVER THINK THE CLEAN. Also do not over work the clean. If you are not getting the movement down, do not beat yourself up. Set the bell down and walk away or do a different drill. Improperly performing the clean is a painful experience. You may be surprised by the simplicity of clean and how easy it is, once you “get it.”
Step 1: Starting Position
From the quarter-squat position, reach out and grip the bell with one hand. The bell should be placed about a foot in front and center of you. With one hand on the bell, do not be tempted to place the other hand on your leg or hip. Leave the non-working hand free, out to the side. Look straight down at your bell, keeping the neck in line with the rest of the spine. The starting clean position is the same as the starting swing position.
Step 2: The Loading Phase
You should feel the hamstrings and glutes load as you hike the bell back, between your legs. The forearm should be close to the groin, even touching the inner thigh, on the back swing. Keep your neck elongated as the bell moves back. As soon as the bell clears your hips, quickly reverse the movement.
Step 3: The Rack Position
Snap the hips forward after the hike pass, just as you would in a kettlebell swing, only, do not over power the movement for the clean. Do not under power the hip snap either. An over-powered hip snap on a clean will surely give the bell enough energy to bruise your forearm. An under-powered clean will not give the bell enough energy to make it into the rack, and will result in more of a cheat curl than an effortless clean. As you progress, you will find just the right amount of power to get the bell from the hiked position to the raked position.
As the bell swings forward from the hiked position, keep the upper arm attached to the upper body. The upper arm should stick to the rib cage in order to keep the bell from arcing too far away from the body and incidentally banging the wrist. A tighter arc results in a much less painful clean.
Another technique to keep from banging the wrist is, as the bell reaches belly button level, aggressively pull the bell toward you then immediately punch through the kettlebell handle.
The bell should land comfortably in the ‘V’ made by the upper and lower arm. As the bell lands in the ‘V’ of your arm, brace the abdomen as though someone were to punch you in the gut. Your glutes should also be tight at the top of the racked position to protect your low back. Bracing the abdomen and squeezing the glutes will help absorb the shock of the bell.
In the proper racked position, the bell should rest low and comfortably in the ‘V’ of your arm with the shoulder sunken and relaxed and the wrist straight.
Conclusion
Finally, DO NOT OVER THINK THE CLEAN. Also do not over work the clean. If you are not getting the movement down, do not beat yourself up. Set the bell down and walk away or do a different drill. Improperly performing the clean is a painful experience. You may be surprised by the simplicity of clean and how easy it is, once you “get it.”
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