How to do a Clean Pull to Hang Clean
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Clean Pull to Hang Clean
Workouts with Clean Pull to Hang Clean
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Combines the clean pull's emphasis on explosive leg and hip drive with the hang clean's focus on speed and coordination, enhancing overall power and efficiency in Olympic lifting techniques.
- Position a loaded barbell on the floor in front of you.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Squat over the barbell.
- Position your hands on the barbell so they are wider than your shoulders and grasp the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and keep your chest up to maintain proper form.
- Roll the barbell toward your shins, making contact with them.
- Perform the next steps in one fluid motion.
- Engage your quads, glutes and hamstring to extend your legs, and raise the barbell into the hang position just above your knees.
- Explosively extend your legs, driving your hips forward.
- Once the bar is just below your hips, engage your calves to raise yourself onto your toes.
- As you roll onto your toes, engage your back and shoulders to raise the bar to your chest, flaring your arms out—your upper arms will end up parallel to the ground.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Allow the barbell to drop into the hang position.
- As you lower the bar, hinge your hips back and bend your knees—the bar should be just above knee height.
- Extend your legs by engaging your quads, glutes and hamstrings.
- Raise the barbell into the hang position just above your knees.
- Explosively extend your legs, driving your hips forward.
- Once the bar is just below your hips, engage your calves to raise yourself onto your toes.
- As you roll onto your toes, engage your back and shoulders to raise the bar to your chest.
- When the barbell is at chest height, bend your legs to drop under the bar.
- Shoot your elbows underneath the bar so they’re pointed forward—the bar should be resting in a front rack position.
- Extend your legs to return to the standing position, then return the barbell to its starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Clean Pull to Hang Clean
1. Hang Clean
73.3 mSCORESWAPPED 64 TIMESFocuses on explosive power and coordination, targeting the legs, hips, and shoulders. Performed by lifting the barbell from the hanging position to the shoulders in one fluid motion, it develops functional strength and improves athletic performance.
2. Clean
83.3 mSCORESWAPPED 36 TIMESClean is a compound, explosive exercise that targets a wide range of muscle groups including the legs, back, and shoulders. It involves lifting a barbell from the ground to your shoulders in one fluid motion. This exercise improves power, strength, and coordination, and is often used to develop overall athleticism and prepare for more complex Olympic lifts.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
3. Hang Power Clean
88.9 mSCORESWAPPED 31 TIMESHang Power Clean is a variation on the Clean. Similar to the Clean, this compound explosive movement targets a wide range of muscle groups. The difference between a Hang Clean and a standard Clean is the starting position. By beginning from a hang position instead of the floor, this can be an easier variation for anyone struggling with the initial pull from the floor, or for someone looking to improve aspects of their Clean after the initial pull.
4. Clean and Press
65.9 mSCORESWAPPED 25 TIMESA dynamic compound lift that marries the clean with an overhead press, engaging the legs, core, shoulders, and arms to improve overall strength and power. Starting with the clean to bring the barbell from the ground to a front rack position, it transitions into a press to lift the weight overhead. This exercise not only builds muscle mass across major muscle groups but also enhances athletic performance by teaching the body to move weights efficiently through different planes of motion.
5. Clean Pull
84 mSCORESWAPPED 23 TIMESClean Pull is a variation, or more accurately, a piece of the more standard Clean. This compound movement targets a wide variety of muscle groups. The exercise itself focuses on the pull from the floor and driving your hips forward to explosively raise the bar. This is a great exercise for anyone working towards performing a full Clean.
6. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 15 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
7. Dumbbell Squat To Shoulder Press
98.1 mSCORESWAPPED 14 TIMESDumbbell Squat to Shoulder Press is a combination of a Dumbbell Squat and a Shoulder Press. Both pieces of this exercise are compound movements that primarily target the quads and shoulders respectively. Combining these two movements is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s a very functional movement that has tons of practical applications, especially for sports. It’s also a great starting point for anyone looking to build the strength and conditioning needed for more explosive exercises like Thrusters, or eventually Olympic lifts.
8. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESDumbbell Goblet Squat is a variation on the more standard Front Squat. Like other squat variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps. Goblet squats are beneficial because they require less upper body mobility in order to keep the weight in the proper position compared to using a barbell.
9. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 13 TIMESBack Squat is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common lower body exercises. It’s a great compound exercise that can help build strength and muscle mass in your leg, especially your quadriceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking lower body strength in general.
10. Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
91.4 mSCORESWAPPED 12 TIMESDumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat is a weighted variation of a Bulgarian Split Squat. Like other Bulgarian Split Squats, this exercise is a compound movement that primarily targets your quads. The use of dumbbells allows you to add more resistance to this exercise, without restricting your range of motion and posture as much as using a barbell.