As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 Minutes of:
15 Hang Power Cleans(115#/75#)
12 Ring Dips
21 AbMat Sit-ups
Results
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Jorge “Gets Busy Living”:
Why “Hang Loose”? Specifically think “loose” as it relates to your grip on the bar in the clean when receiving it in the rack position. Many who learn the clean relate how at first it hurts the wrists and that the elbows can’t come up because of a lack of shoulder flexibility. If you can stick your arms out in front of you and bend your elbows to touch your shoulders with either your fingers or your thumbs then you are likely more flexible than you think. While you can work on improving wrist and shoulder and tricep flexibility, the often overlooked point is to avoid that “Death Grip” on the bar. That will result in a very poor rack position, as well as keeping the bar in a position that makes squatting or jerking the bar inefficient and counter productive. Having the bar out in front with the death grip will pull the chest forward and the athlete’s weight on the toes rather than the heels during the clean. It also usually results in a reverse curl and barbell swing to get the weight up. The last and most important effect of a poor rack position is a loss of a stable midline or “core”. Add a little more weight to the bar and it simply will = epic fail.
Finish the clean with a relaxed grip and open up those fingers. Let the bar rest on the chest position and push those elbows up as you OPEN the fingers. Once you realize that you can open the fingers the elbows will follow. The below pictures illustrates the two positions.
“Tight Grip” keeps elbows down and bar out in front vs. “Loose Grip” allows the Elbows up and bar in the Front Rack:
Coaching Tip: Work the “Rack” position and Front Squat to improve the Clean
With a PVC or barbell:
- Put the bar on your shoulders in the rack position and stick your hands straight out in front
- Bend your arms and touch the bar with the top of your fingers (palms face the floor)
- Front Squat and keep your chest up and weight on the heels
- Next stick your hands straight out in front of you and keep them level to the ground
- Balance the bar and Front Squat and keep your chest up and weight on the heels
- Last bend the arms and touch the bar with the first few fingers on each hand (palms face the sky)
- Front Squat and keep your chest up and weight on the heels