Exercise guide · Olympic Lifts

Barbell Power Clean

The power clean brings a barbell from the floor to the shoulders and receives it above a full-squat depth. Compared with the clean, it requires the bar to be lifted higher before the catch.

Targets: Glutes
Equipment: Barbell
Type: Compound

Step by step

How to do the Barbell Power Clean

Stand with the bar over the midfoot, take a hook grip outside the legs, and brace with the back set firmly.
Push through the floor and keep the bar close while the knees and hips extend together.
Accelerate after the bar passes the knees and extend the hips, knees, and ankles explosively.
Move under the bar, rotate the elbows forward, and receive it on the shoulders in a partial squat above parallel.
Stand tall to complete the repetition, then lower or release the bar safely on an appropriate platform.

Form cues

Stay over the bar
Explode after the knees
Fast elbows
Catch above parallel

Common mistakes

Turning the lift into a reverse curl
Jumping forward to chase the bar
Catching below parallel like a full clean
Receiving the bar with loose trunk tension

Muscles worked

Primary

Glutes

Secondary

Quads, Hamstrings, Upper traps and Forearms

Safety: Master the front rack and safe release before training heavy power cleans. Use bumper plates, keep the platform clear, and choose a load that allows a controlled catch above parallel.

Alternatives

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