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Thread: Is the Clean still relevant as one of the core lifts?

  1. #1
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    Default Is the Clean still relevant as one of the core lifts?

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    I am in no way trying to stir the puddin' here, but I am seriously wondering if the clean is still as relevant of a lift when it seems that the demographic for the SS model seems to be trending towards a more "older" lifter. By older, I am not saying people in their 60's and 70's, but rather the 30 to 40 year old range. If you look at the social media accounts of a lot of the SS coaches, not a lot of mention or posting of the clean as compared to the other lifts.

    I understand the role the lift plays in the overall training program, but I am curious as to how many SS coaches have trainees actively using the clean in their programming. Has there ever been any thought of dropping or replacing this lift?

  2. #2
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    My thoughts on the clean are detailed in the books. As mentioned in the books, not everybody needs to do them.

  3. #3
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    Power cleans are an essential part of the program. The program was written for young athletes who need to get strong and big. My experience has been that novice high school and college aged kids need to power clean exactly how it was written in the program for all the reasons that were written in the book. And then I expose most of them to full cleans, snatches, C+J's, etc. somewhere in their intermediate programming. It is weird, but I read that somewhere.

    I don't introduce the power clean to a lot of my older clients early in the process, but usually end up giving them a try with everyone at some point. It often comes down to basic training economics. How much time is a person willing to put in? What are they interested in accomplishing? What kind of risk are we talking about? Can they even rack a clean? Can they get under a snatch? Are they coordinated enough to figure out what I am asking them to do without driving me nuts? Do they pay their dues on time? Is adding power cleans into this person's program going to provide enough of a benefit to make them worth doing? These are the kinds of things that factor into a decision like this.

    A lot of the time, the staving off death crowd is best off just squatting, pressing, and deadlifting as much as they can tolerate in varying levels of intensity. But that being said, there are certainly older folks that are animals and can train much harder than others.

    Social media is largely over-rated. I grow more and more bored with it everyday. Real life and in the gyms is where most of the action happens. Plus, who has the time to get a good picture or video of a kid doing a clean when you are busy coaching a bunch of their buddies at the same time.

  4. #4
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    My impressions on this from training at a SS gym are as follows. Plenty of trainees clean, others do not. It seems to be based on the goals and age of the trainee, with every single young athlete performing the clean at least once a week and older folks not doing them at all. There is a middle ground of trainees that are in the 30 to 40 age range and cleans among this group seem entirely dependent on training goals. Again, these are just my observations.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Leonard View Post
    I understand the role the lift plays in the overall training program, but I am curious as to how many SS coaches have trainees actively using the clean in their programming.
    I have some of my trainees working on cleans. Less commonly, I have people snatch, too.

  6. #6
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    Crap.... I need to get on this so I'm not tagged in the "stave off death" crowd!
    Thanks for the responses.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Campitelli View Post
    I have some of my trainees working on cleans. Less commonly, I have people snatch, too.
    I use them (cleans and snatches) in a few carefully selected Masters. Three criteria: They have to like them, they have to demonstrate aptitude, they have to TOLERATE them. Any of those three missing and we forget it. Do something else.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathon Sullivan View Post
    I use them (cleans and snatches) in a few carefully selected Masters. Three criteria: They have to like them, they have to demonstrate aptitude, they have to TOLERATE them. Any of those three missing and we forget it. Do something else.
    I recall that was roughly Rip's advice at a seminar. For the life of me I could not not bend my arms during the pull. He couldn't beat it out of me try as he might. Just no aptitude (and years of flipping the bar up with my arms didn't help). Can't say I'm missing them.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Kurisko View Post
    A lot of the time, the staving off death crowd is best off just squatting, pressing, and deadlifting as much as they can tolerate in varying levels of intensity. But that being said, there are certainly older folks that are animals and can train much harder than others.

    Social media is largely over-rated. I grow more and more bored with it everyday. Real life and in the gyms is where most of the action happens. Plus, who has the time to get a good picture or video of a kid doing a clean when you are busy coaching a bunch of their buddies at the same time.
    This is perfect right here Chris. Couldn't agree more! Well done!

    I've watched alot of memorable olympic lifts, squats, DL etc by my athletes and "older lifters" over the years and thought "hmm, should have videoed that" then moved on to coaching the next lifter...

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Leonard View Post
    By older, I am not saying people in their 60's and 70's, but rather the 30 to 40 year old range. ?
    I'm 30 and I'm just about to start learning them...

    ...I'm also an uncoordinated bag of shit and I'll probably die.

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