How to Do a Hang Clean: Techniques, Benefits, Variations

The hang clean is a variation of the power clean exercise, with the word “hanging” referring to the starting position because the weight hangs in front of the body relative to starting on the floor. The cleanse works multiple muscle groups, making it a great addition to full-body strength training exercises.

How to Make a Clean Hang

Load dumbbells with a weight appropriate for your fitness level. Then place it on the floor in front of you. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, focus on your body and keep your shoulders back and chest forward.

Squat down and grasp the bar with the hook grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. The hook grip is a method of gripping the barbell where the palms are facing the body, but the thumbs hook around the barbell (closer to your body) and are held firmly under the four fingers holding the barbell on the side away from the body. your.

Push through your heels to stand up, keeping the barbell close to your shins while bringing the barbell across your thighs. Your arms are fully extended in this starting position (as shown above).

1. Bend forward slightly at your hips, push your butt back, and lower the bar until it’s just above your knees. Keep a neutral spine and keep your gaze straight forward throughout this movement. Do not allow your knees to point forward.
2. Push your hips forward while dropping your body into a squat. Simultaneously, shrug your shoulders and bring your elbows forward to bring the bar up so that you’re almost jumping down, “catching” the bar at chest level in front of your shoulders, just like in the previous squat.
3. Raise to a standing position while keeping the bar over your shoulders in front of your neck, in a forward rack position.
4. Lower the bar with the controls to bring the bar back to the starting position (thigh level).

Benefits of Hang Clean

Hang clean is a full body workout. Some general activity is involved, with the major muscles activated being the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps, erector spine, trapezius, biceps, deltoids, abdominals, and nerves. sit.

Studies show that clean hanging has a significant positive effect on strength, power, performance, and speed development. This is one of many Olympic weightlifting moves used to promote a high force-to-power ratio without using more complex lift from the floor.

Performing cave cleanings can also help with functional fitness (daily activities), such as picking up heavier objects from the floor. Because it promotes a healthy posture while at the same time can help reduce the risk of developing back pain.

Other variations of Hang Clean

You can modify the mount to better suit your fitness level and goals.

Front Squat with Rack Grip for Beginners

This lower body exercise is done while holding the barbell in the forward rack position and removing the explosive part of the rack clean. This allows you to build lower body strength and confidence before moving on to more advanced movements.

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Grasp the bar with a hook handle and move it into a forward rack position, where the bar is at the front of the neck, across the front of the shoulders. Hold the bar here while performing the squat.

Hang clean high scissors

Another alternative that skips the catch step is a clean high pull. This exercise also limits shoulder and wrist strain that can occur when holding the barbell in the forward rack position.

Start in the same position with a clean hanging position, holding the barbell at thigh height. Push your hips back and pull the bar up to chest level (not up to the neck/shoulder area as in a clean hang) before bringing the bar back up to the mid-thigh area.

Different Cave locations

When you’re ready to progress to a clean hang, you can do this exercise from a variety of hanging positions (where is the weight at the start of each rep). Each person varies the mechanics of the movements slightly, working the muscles in a different way.

Various hanging positions include:

• Below the knee: Bar below the knee
• Knee: Stick at the knee
• Cave: The bar right above the knee
• Hanging between: The bar in the middle of the thigh
• High hanging: The bar in the upper thigh

Weight increase

As you become stronger and more confident with the clean hang, adding weight to the bar will increase the intensity and challenge of the exercise. Increase the lifting weight in small increments to avoid injury from trying to progress too quickly.

Entire source clean

The full power clean is similar to the hang clean except that you start and end the exercise from the floor instead of across your thighs. That makes it a bit more complicated and more difficult. The full clean is an advanced full-body Olympic weightlifting exercise.

Release into a squat position and grip the collar. Stand up, lifting the bar close to the front of your legs, stopping when it’s mid-thigh. Bend your knees and push your hips forward while bringing your elbows forward, catching the bar in front of your shoulders. Stand up completely before bringing the bar back to the floor.

Common mistake

Avoid these common mistakes to keep your workouts safe and effective.

Swinging Bar

Leaving the bar out of your body increases your risk of injury and straining your back muscles. Focus on keeping the bar close to your body during each phase of the exercise to ensure that you have both good form and adequate control.

The bar moves horizontally

Check if the bar is falling vertically instead of moving back and forth horizontally. If your knees or thighs are obstructed, adjust your form.

Grip too wide or too narrow

Holding a racquet that is too narrow or too wide can impair your ability to perform this exercise with proper technique. To perform a clean hang correctly, the hands should rest on the outside bar a few inches on either side of the legs.

Hold on too tight

Even though you want a controlled grip at all times during this exercise, the bar should still roll smoothly over your hand. Gripping the bar too tightly doesn’t allow for a smooth transition when moving the bar from your thighs to your front shoulder area.

Gripping too tight can even cause you to drop the bar, not complete the movement, or increase your risk of injury to your wrists, hands, and back. Keep a controlled but not too firm grip during the move.

Use arms to pull

Some people try to use their arms to pull the bar up instead of driving with their feet. Clean hang requires you to bend your knees, drive over your feet, shrug your shoulders, and jump under the bar to land in the proper forward rack position.

Practice a few weightless cleanups without pulling on the bar but dropping your body below the bar into a catch position. This will help eliminate the urge to pull with your arm.

Release the elbow

Dropping your elbows can cause you to drop weights and increase your risk of injury. Increasing the mobility, flexibility, and strength of your fat and triceps can help improve spinal elongation. This allows you to raise your elbows higher to catch and hold the barbell.

Incorrect destination

Failing to maintain proper body position during a clean landing is a common mistake. However, improper landing affects your balance and increases your risk of injury.

Some people land with their torso flexed and heels elevated. While slightly jumping or stomping the floor when catching clean is reasonable, it’s important to land with both feet for stability and to put the front rack in place.

Too many reps

Rushing to do too many reps before solidifying your technique can lead to bad habits or injury. When first starting to clean the burrow, focus on the right form so it becomes ingrained.

Start with just a few reps per set (2 to 4), then increase gradually as you learn technique and increase strength. Also start with lighter weights until you capture the movement.

Safety and Precautions

Performing any resistance exercise improperly can increase the risk of injury. The clean hang is an advanced exercise that requires extra attention to body position and form.

People with injuries or pain in their shoulders, wrists, or elbows may benefit from avoiding a clean hang. It may also not be good for people with poor core strength. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out if a clean hang is safe to do.

Stop the exercise if you experience discomfort or pain beyond the typical stress you feel when building muscle. As long as you feel fine, repeat the clean hang for your desired rep. Start with two to five sets of 3 to 5 reps and work your way up from there.

Trial

Incorporate this and similar moves into one of these popular exercises: