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Thread: Power Cleans - 95-->135

  1. #1
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    Default Power Cleans - 95-->135

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    End of week 7 of NLP. Up to this week, I was alternating deadlift and power clean on Workout A. Starting this week I have DL on Monday, chins on Wednesday, and power cleans on Friday.

    Today I had a problem at 135, which last time wasn't a problem (top set that day was 145).

    I have a hard time staying over the bar until the "trigger" point on the thighs.

    I also can't get elbows forward fast enough when it gets heavier. I suppose that means I'm not "jumping" high/hard enough (bar isn't getting high enough to get myself under it)?

    Should I limit myself to 125 (for 5 sets of 3) until technique is perfect, before adding weight?


  2. #2
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    Hey Sean
    You're taking this off the ground too fast. Slow down the first part of the pull off the ground. If you do that you'll notice that you're actually pulling the bar around your knees rather than extending them to break the bar off the ground. Your first move is to open the hips rather than straightening the knees. This opens the chest and then the shoulders get over/behind the bar too early.
    Lastly, you have to get rid of the death grip you have on the bar if you want the elbows to come through faster. Receive the bar with your shoulders, not your hands. The bar should rest on the meat of the delts and be back in your finger tips.
    Fix those things and see there's an improvement.
    I'd also invest in some 25lb bumpers so you can take the lighter weight from the ground.
    Good luck.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Troupos View Post
    Your first move is to open the hips rather than straightening the knees. This opens the chest and then the shoulders get over/behind the bar too early.
    I assume you mean this is what I'm doing (wrong), thus the right way is: straighten knees first (which keeps chest and shoulders over/in front of the bar) until the trigger point. At the trigger point, everything is in the optimal "trebuchet" position? While knees straighten, I'm trying to preserve the initial back angle (not letting it get more horizontal e.g. hips up, nor more vertical e.g. shoulders up) until after the knees?

    On bumpers: Is it harmful (to the plates or bar) to combine bumpers with (smaller) iron plates? E.g. with a pair of 25lb bumpers (95lbs total), to get it to 115 with two smaller 10lb plates, would that damage the bumpers?

    On programming: Is "as heavy as can be done with good technique" the goal, e.g. add 2.5-5 pounds per session as able? Or just do them in a range of deadlift 5RM? (if so, what range? I have heard 35-50%?)

  4. #4
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    That's correct Sean.

    I don't know if a little bit of iron on 25lb bumpers is going to to damage them, but I imagine if you take care not to drop them from overhead, they should last a while. In my experience, if bumpers fail, they're cheap or the metal insert that makes contact with the bar pops out.
    You could always bolster the plates so the bar is the right height off the ground. Up to you.

    You'd progress the PC as any other lift in the rotation. But 5lb jumps run out fast, and you have to drop to 2.5lb jumps or lower.
    I wouldn't worry about a % of deadlift.

    Good luck.

  5. #5
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    Sean, make sure the bar touches your thighs with straight arms. I don't see the bar touching your thighs on any of those reps. The reason is as Pete stated, that you are going around your knees - that you are opening the hips first etc.. But try to remember specifically, to touch your thighs with the bar (with straight arms) and then jump.

  6. #6
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    This week's session. 135 went better, and I did get 145x1. Focused on staying over the bar off the floor. I think I got better contact most of the time.



    Be honest if there is something better (more productive) I could be doing in this "light pull" training slot. I like power cleans...but would like a bigger deadlift more. I can tell the squats are driving the consistent deadlift 5RM performance on Mondays; is there something better I could be doing on Friday to keep driving DL progress?

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    It's not helping that you aren't practicing off the floor until the heavier weight. The quick and dirty way to get the bar off the floor and at a height for practise is to get two cinder blocks, put a work glove on top, and put and end of the bar on each block. The glove will keep the bar from rolling or scuffing the bar. You probably have these things sitting around your garage right now.

    Slow down off the floor until you get things right with those warm up sets. I mean actually SLOW. Half speed or 1/4 speed until you get to the jump point on your thigh. Speed up off the floor only as you are able. If you are out of position, you're going too fast. Try again.

    You don't say what your deadlift is, but light deadlifts are the most obvious and direct replacement. Even if you do this, you can keep up the clean practise -- it's a great warmup for a deadlift, lets you see how your power is being developed by your strength, and gets you in the habit of a strong, hard top half of your deadlift. This is true whether you're just an ordinary guy or someone like George Hechter.

  8. #8
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    These cleans are fine, if a little slow. It's hard to focus on explosion, I know, but this is the only thing holding you back. You have to make some noise and get really interested in making the bar slam into the rack.

  9. #9
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    Stef, Mark (can I call you Rip?) - Thank you for the feedback! I will work on slowing down off the floor, and exploding more at the trigger point.

    My last deadlift session was 315 x 5 (I've been hitting PRs each week since 295 x 5), on a schedule of Monday deadlift, Wednesday chins, Friday power cleans. Perhaps, based on the recent MED article, I should keep the heavy Monday deadlift, but do power cleans on Wednesday and lighter (80% of Monday) deadlifts for 3 sets of 5 on Fridays?

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    You should do the program.

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