How to do a Power Clean to Front Squat
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Power Clean to Front Squat
Workouts with Power Clean to Front Squat
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Merges the dynamic lifting phase of the power clean with the stability and strength challenge of the front squat. This combination exercise improves transitional efficiency between lifts, enhancing overall strength, power, and fluidity in movement. It's an effective training tool for athletes and lifters who wish to maximize their explosive lifting capabilities and squat strength in a cohesive, functional movement pattern.
- Position a loaded barbell on the floor in front of you.
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Position your hands on the barbell so they are much 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.
- Engage your back and shoulders so that your upper body is ready to perform the movement.
- Perform the next steps in one fluid motion.
- Engage your quads, glutes and hamstrings to extend your legs, and raise the barbell into the hang position just above your knees.
- From the hang position, explosively drive your hips forward to return to standing.
- As you stand up, raise yourself onto your toes by engaging your calves.
- As your raise the bar, bend your knees and position your elbows forward underneath the bar—it should be in a front rack position.
- Return to a standing position.
- From here, hinge your hips back and bend your knees to drop into a squat position.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Engage your glutes, quads and hamstrings to extend your legs, drive your hips forward and return to a standing position.
- Return the barbell to its starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Power Clean to Front Squat
1. Front Squat
93.4 mSCORESWAPPED 22 TIMESFront Squat is one of the most common variations of the more standard Back Squat. Like other squat variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps. By racking the bar in front of your body instead of behind, you can further emphasize your quads. While the movements are fairly similar, Front Squat may translate better to applications in sports and other real world activities.
2. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 20 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
3. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 12 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.
4. Power Clean
85 mSCORESWAPPED 12 TIMESPower Clean is a compound explosive movement that targets a wide variety of muscle groups. This exercise focuses on quickly lifting a loaded barbell from the ground to your shoulders in a single motion. Due to its explosive nature, it's excellent for developing both strength and power. It's often used in athletic training to improve performance in dynamic activities.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
5. Air Squats
92.1 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMESAir Squats are a bodyweight variation of Squats. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Without any added resistance this is easily one of the most beginner friendly exercises out there. It’s a great way to start building strength, and working your way towards more advanced variations.
- Beginner
- Quads
6. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 9 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
7. Single Leg Leg Extension
60.6 mSCORESWAPPED 8 TIMESSingle Leg Leg Extensions is a variation of Leg Extensions that uses one leg at a time. Like other leg extensions, this isolation exercise targets your quadriceps. By targeting one leg at a time, you can focus your attention on getting good muscle activation in each leg. In addition, this can help you identify and address strength imbalances between legs. While leg extensions can be a great way to build strength and muscle mass in your quadriceps, they can also place a lot of tension on your knees.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
8. Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
91.4 mSCORESWAPPED 8 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.
9. Dumbbell Squat To Shoulder Press
98.1 mSCORESWAPPED 7 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.
10. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 7 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.