Power cleans and standard bar

[toonttm]

I'm about to start doing power cleans, have never done them before...never.

I don't have any weights at home but thought about grabbing a standard 6' or 7' bar and 10kg of weights to try and get the technique right before I try it at the gym.

Would this cause any issues with learning the technique?

[Dastardly]

Dont do it. Its awkward as hell on a standard bar due to the narrowness. Plus the plates are tiny so you would have to do hang cleans anyway. Your technique will not benefit from this venture.

If you ONLY had a standard bar to train with, I would suggest close grip hang snatches as an exercise. You dont have to worry about racking snatches.

[Simma Park]

I'm about to start doing power cleans, have never done them before...never.

I don't have any weights at home but thought about grabbing a standard 6' or 7' bar and 10kg of weights to try and get the technique right before I try it at the gym.

Would this cause any issues with learning the technique?

There's little chance that an empty bar will be a problem for you, since you are a full-grown male, yes? So just do them at the gym with the Olympic bar.

What is the concern here? Embarrassment? If so, stop caring about that so much. If the issue is something like bar height, there are many things at an average gym that can be used to bring a bar up to the correct height. Those aerobics step thingies, the power rack pins, etc.

[toonttm]

Only 2 olympic bars and 2 racks at my gym. I usually finish my workout just as the crowd starts arriving (and queuing for the racks) so would rather complete my normal workout and then practice the cleans at home until I feel comfortable enough to start adding weight to the cleans (and then stop doing rows).

[By practice I mean doing a few sets each day at low weight, just working on technique, may take a week, maybe 2, maybe longer??]

[Simma Park]

Only 2 olympic bars and 2 racks at my gym. I usually finish my workout just as the crowd starts arriving (and queuing for the racks) so would rather complete my normal workout and then practice the cleans at home until I feel comfortable enough to start adding weight to the cleans (and then stop doing rows).

[By practice I mean doing a few sets each day at low weight, just working on technique, may take a week, maybe 2, maybe longer??]

That still doesn't make sense to me since you're correctly assuming it'll only take a couple of weeks to get the form down decently enough to be able to add at least moderately challenging weight to the bar.

If you insist on practicing it for a while, why not just do a set or two at the end of each workout at the gym? Why would you buy equipment to practice something for 2 weeks when you could do it at the gym and only have it take a few extra minutes per workout?

[toonttm]

That still doesn't make sense to me since you're correctly assuming it'll only take a couple of weeks to get the form down decently enough to be able to add at least moderately challenging weight to the bar.

If you insist on practicing it for a while, why not just do a set or two at the end of each workout at the gym? Why would you buy equipment to practice something for 2 weeks when you could do it at the gym and only have it take a few extra minutes per workout?

Quite simple really, a bar is around $10..if I can't find one to borrow. This gives me as much practice as I want whereas a couple of minutes after the workout means I get 2 - 3 practices a week.

[Dastardly]

Quite simple really, a bar is around $10..if I can't find one to borrow. This gives me as much practice as I want whereas a couple of minutes after the workout means I get 2 - 3 practices a week.

That is a stupid justification. Practicing with a standard bar will achieve little, when practicing with the olympic bar can have you 100% set in one session.

[toonttm]

That is a stupid justification. Practicing with a standard bar will achieve little, when practicing with the olympic bar can have you 100% set in one session.

Actually, after I posted this I thought I should go back and delete it.
I wasn't actually asking permission to do this, so I'm not sure why I am trying to justify it.

I had a simple thought and asked one simple question:
- I wanted to know if using a standard bar would affect my learning of a lift, that's it, period, simple -.

Nothing else, not whether I could do it in the gym, not whether it was a waste of money (heck I might just go an olympic bar, they aren't overly expensive), not whether I could learn it in session, not if I was embarressed to learn in a gym...

Now I think, what a brilliant idea!...I can set my camera up, have my computer beside me with some clips of 'good' form and compare the 2, and spend as long as I want practising until I feel I have it right, then come back over the next few days and refine the technique, brilliant idea...will go and get a either a standard or olympic bar this weekend and make a start.

<hmmm, where is the smiley for patting yourself on the back for being so clever?>
oh well, =)

[Simma Park]

You miss the point that people who think special "practice" is required with this lift tend to dick around with it forever and never quite learn it properly.

I honestly think that, psychologically speaking, it's more productive to do it in the gym, because that setting is more likely to keep you from turning it into an exercise in masturbation.

But do what you want.

[rumblefish]

You miss the point that people who think special "practice" is required with this lift tend to dick around with it forever

I have been soooo guilty of that with the power clean. Not anymore though. Spar is right OP just start doing power cleans and stop thinking about doing power cleans.