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Thread: Power Cleans

  1. #1
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    Lightbulb Power Cleans

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    Hello Mark

    I hate Power-cleans! I have been doing one of your programs in Practical Programming for Strength Training, I am on my second time running the program. I have made great progress in all my lifts including power-cleans.

    But the end goal for me is to increase my dead lift, squat and bench.

    The question is can I replace power-cleans with something else and make about the same gainz? Or are they a foundational lift that I should not cut out?

  2. #2
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    It's your training, not mine. Do what you want to do.

  3. #3
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    While I, on the other hand would LOVE to do
    Power Cleans—but I’m too fucking old! I would urge you, Zappey, to be glad you are still able to benefit from them. Sermon over!

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Comancheria View Post
    While I, on the other hand would LOVE to do
    Power Cleans—but I’m too fucking old! I would urge you, Zappey, to be glad you are still able to benefit from them. Sermon over!

    Part of the problem is I'm always worried about getting hurt doing them. If the rack is to high you wack the shit out of your collar bone. To low and you get your chest. Catch it on your hands and you tweak your wrist. Pull with slight uneven force and it puts all the strain on one elbow.

    Practical Programming has a few programs with out power cleans. After I finish this program maybe ill try one with out them.

    Thanks for you perspective. Keep lifting!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zappey1 View Post
    Part of the problem is I'm always worried about getting hurt doing them. If the rack is to high you wack the shit out of your collar bone. To low and you get your chest. Catch it on your hands and you tweak your wrist. Pull with slight uneven force and it puts all the strain on one elbow.

    Practical Programming has a few programs with out power cleans. After I finish this program maybe ill try one with out them.

    Thanks for you perspective. Keep lifting!
    If your technique is sound, power cleans are a low injury risk IMO. I've been working hard on them in recent months and have cleaned up form to the point to where I'm cleaning much more weight but no pain or injury from them.

  6. #6
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    A lot of that stuff can probably be avoided by being conservative with your starting weight and really learning the technique right.

  7. #7
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    I appreciate your guys input.

    Can my form be better? You bet. Out of all my lifts power cleans have by far been the most neglected. I'm a teacher so I love and track all kinds of data. Over the last about 10 years of workouts I entered into my data base we have the following: Squats:6,633 reps, bench: 9,298 reps, deadlift 5,521 reps, Power cleans 499 reps. That data is very telling.

    That is not the whole story though. How is my form? If I had to to give a grade on my power cleans I would say 85% mastery or so. When I use light weight 50 to 70% of my 1RM I have pretty good form. But as I progress in programs and the weight gets heavier my form starts to break down slightly. I remember that the crappy power clean this program is the solid power clean next program.

    This serves just fine for all the other lifts. If my form is slightly off on any of the other lifts I can still grind it out with a minimal risk of injury. Not with the power clean. For some more perspective on my last program I had power cleans for 265 lbs for 2x4 on the last power clean day.

    The risk of injury at that weight with anything less then perfect form is very high. In the original post I stated my end goal is to increase my dead lift, bench and squat.

    Is power cleaning 270 going to help me pull 600? Or am I just risking injury doing an exercise that I could replace with one that has less potential to cause me an injury?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zappey1 View Post
    Is power cleaning 270 going to help me pull 600? Or am I just risking injury doing an exercise that I could replace with one that has less potential to cause me an injury?
    Why are you guys so fucking terrified of power cleans? Is there a compound fracture video on the internet that I've missed?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Why are you guys so fucking terrified of power cleans? Is there a compound fracture video on the internet that I've missed?
    LOL I have been whacked in the sternum and collar bone several times. It is very unpleasant. I have also tweaked both my elbows at different times (like a bad tennis elbow feeling). When I tweak my elbow my bench then sucks for a week or so.

    I trust the process Mark if you say they are needed to help my deadlift I'm keeping them. However next program I might try one of the programs with alternative exercises.

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