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Thread: power clean landing on the clavicle

  1. #1
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    Default power clean landing on the clavicle

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    Howdy Folks, I've been following Rippetoe for many years - first read SS about 10 yeas ago. I have been power lifting for about 15 years with a little bit of the HIIT workouts. I am 47, weigh in about 165. 5'2" with about 15% body fat. My max efforts are about 200 for the PC, 290 bench, 325 squat and 365 dead. I try for 4 days a week workout - 1 day is PC day with supplemental work squats, and Clean grip deads. Next day is bench with with supplementals on pull up, B.O. Rows and rear flys. Day 3 is Deadlift with with supplementals of PC and front squat. Day 4 is Split Jerk or OH press, supplemental work consists of Bis/Tris and maybe some speed/agility work. The question I have is working on the Power Clean. When I am catching the clean, I am catching it right at the clavicle and it hurts! Is there a technique to catching it and landing it more on the delts vs the clavicle? Are there any specific spots to remember when pushing the elbows out that can help me rack it slightly more forward vs more back? If I need to provide video I can. Thank y ou in advance for any insights to this complicated lift!

  2. #2
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    Hey Luke
    Sounds like either the elbows are slow and/or just not getting high enough. If you keep a death-grip on the bar during the rack this can happen too.
    Check out the sticky for filming guidelines and post up a video.

  3. #3
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    Concerning the opposite problem: what makes the bar hit the throat in a PC?

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    Thanks for the quick insight. Next Clean day I'll get video and post it for a visual. I think you are right about the elbows. My forearms have been very sore and that has made it tough to rotate the wrists and throw the elbows out quickly. I was looking at another post that described attacking the lift with the shoulders. I'll try that mentality and see if I can get better results. I'm finally getting back up to a reasonable weight on the clean after working out some muscular imbalances in the glutes, hips and lower back.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by VNV View Post
    Concerning the opposite problem: what makes the bar hit the throat in a PC?
    Bar crash: pulling the bar to a point above the rack position. Aim for the top of your shoulders.

    Quote Originally Posted by LuckyLuke View Post
    I'm finally getting back up to a reasonable weight on the clean after working out some muscular imbalances in the glutes, hips and lower back.
    How did you do this?

  6. #6
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    I worked with an acupuncturist that helped me identify that I had an imbalance. It started with tight IT bands, then rolled to a constant ache on the front/side of the hip. I started doing cleans again about 2 years ago after about a 7 year hiatus and found that they really helped the lower back pain. It always worked that the day after cleans was a pain free day. I then started doing a new warm up including death marches, laying leg lifts and Bulgarian Split Squats. I found that the laying leg lifts , as easy as they are, really hit the spot on the Glute min and med, they tore me apart. I religiously perform them as a warm up. I have this sway back that really projects my belly forward so now I am working the Transvers Abdominus. I still find that the cleans are helping, and pretty certain because it requires the flexion in the glutes and hips. This clavicle thing has just begun about 2 weeks ago when I started an OTM program. If I had to guess I would say that OTM is not a good progression for "Power" exercises and the weight is too much for this OTM and proper recovery. Because of that I am not rolling the wrists back and getting the elbows out front fast enough.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Bar crash: pulling the bar to a point above the rack position. Aim for the top of your shoulders.
    Ok. Is this cue meant to help stay out over the bar, or equivalently not lean back?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuckyLuke View Post
    I worked with an acupuncturist that helped me identify that I had an imbalance. It started with tight IT bands, then rolled to a constant ache on the front/side of the hip. I started doing cleans again about 2 years ago after about a 7 year hiatus and found that they really helped the lower back pain. It always worked that the day after cleans was a pain free day. I then started doing a new warm up including death marches, laying leg lifts and Bulgarian Split Squats. I found that the laying leg lifts , as easy as they are, really hit the spot on the Glute min and med, they tore me apart. I religiously perform them as a warm up. I have this sway back that really projects my belly forward so now I am working the Transvers Abdominus. I still find that the cleans are helping, and pretty certain because it requires the flexion in the glutes and hips. This clavicle thing has just begun about 2 weeks ago when I started an OTM program. If I had to guess I would say that OTM is not a good progression for "Power" exercises and the weight is too much for this OTM and proper recovery. Because of that I am not rolling the wrists back and getting the elbows out front fast enough.
    This is essentially gibberish. Therapy-babble.

    Quote Originally Posted by VNV View Post
    Ok. Is this cue meant to help stay out over the bar, or equivalently not lean back?
    No, it has to do with how you rack the bar. You are in control of the pull, and the bar should go to your delts, not any higher. You can cue this by thinking about "striking the bar with your shoulders," as opposed to letting the bar fall down onto your shoulders. The former is an active thing you do to rack the bar, the latter is a passive thing the bar does to you.

  9. #9
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    Thank you for your time. I have always appreciated the blunt truth that you speak.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    I was able to get video yesterday. This is 3 sets, starting with a warm up set at 95, then 115 then 145. Thank you in advance for your time reviewing it. I was able to prevent the bar from crash landing on my clavicle by using Rips advice on controlling the bar vs the bar falling down. Link here: 02-19-21 - Power Clean. 95, 115, 145 - YouTube

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