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Exercise Technique
The Exercise Technique Column provides detailed
explanations of proper exercise technique to optimize
performance and safety.
COLUMN EDITOR: Jay Dawes, PhD, CSCS*D,
NSCA-CPT*D, FNSCA
The Clean Pull and Snatch
Pull: Proper Technique for
Weightlifting Movement
Derivatives
Brad H. DeWeese, Ed.D, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, USAW,
1
Ambrose J. Serrano, MA, CSCS, HFS, USAW,
1
Steven K. Scruggs, USAW,
2
and Matt L. Sams
2
1
United States Olympic Committee, Lake Placid, New York; and
2
Department of Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sport
Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
SUMMARY
THE CLEAN PULL AND SNATCH
PULL ARE EXERCISES THAT USE
THE DOUBLE KNEE BEND AND
TRIPLE EXTENSION INVOLVED IN
WEIGHTLIFTING MOVEMENTS. AS
A RESULT, THESE PULLING MOVE-
MENTS ARE USED WITH THE PUR-
POSE OF MAKING AN ATHLETE
MORE EFFICIENT AT PRODUCING
FORCE WITH AN OVERLOAD
STIMULUS. IN ADDITION, THESE
EXERCISES CAN BE USED AS
A TEACHING MODALITY FOR THE
PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE FULL CLEAN OR SNATCH.
There is evidence to suggest that
activities that involve higher
rates of force production, such
as the clean and snatch are beneficial
for improving an athlete’s physical
preparedness (1–4,6–10). As a result,
weightlifting movements and their
derivatives are popular weight training
activities that are prescribed by many
sport performance practitioners. For
this reason, coaches and athletes alike
should understand the proper tech-
nique of these exercises so that the
transfer of training effect is maximized.
TYPE OF EXERCISE
The clean and snatch pull variations
are complex multijoint exercises that
promote efficiency of training through
the seamless combination of the first
and second pulls of their full clean
and snatch counterparts. In addition,
the clean and snatch pulls use the dou-
ble knee bend phase and complete
body triple extension involved in the
weightlifting movements.
MUSCLES INVOLVED
Isometric actions of the following
muscles are created for initial
stabilization of the acetabulofemoral,
glenohumeral, and radiohumeral
joints:
Erector spinae group (iliocostalis,
longissimus, and spinalis), deep spinal
muscles (rotators, interspinales, multi-
fidus, and intertransversarii), rectus
abdominis, transverse abdominis,
external obliques, internal obliques,
quadratus lumborum, triceps brachii
(long head), deltoid, subscapularis,
latissimus dorsi, externsor carpi radi-
alis, brachioradialis, trapezius, splenius
capitis, splenius cervicis, infraspinatus,
serratus posterior inferior, rhomboid
major, rhomboid minor, and the
supraspinatus.
Ascending portion of the clean and
snatch pull variations:
Upper extremities—trapezius, splenius
capitis, splenius cervicis, levator scapu-
lae, rhomboid minor, rhomboid major,
serratus posterior superior, posterior
deltoid, teres minor, teres major,
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82
erector spinae group (iliocostalis, long-
issimus, and spinalis), deep spinal
muscles (rotators, interspinales, multi-
fidus, and intertransversarii), rectus
abdominis, transverse abdominis,
external obliques, and internal obliques.
Lower extremities—quadriceps group
(rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus
medialis, and vastus intermedius),
gluteus maximus, hamstrings group
(biceps femoris, semimembranosus,
semitendinosus), gastrocnemius, soleus,
tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus,
flexor digitorum, peroneus longus and
the peroneus brevis.
BENEFITS OF THE EXERCISE
Sport specificity is a term commonly
used to explain the degree to which
a given exercise transfers to the sport
setting. In other words, specificity can
be referred to as the level of effective-
ness an exercise has at improving an
athlete’s ability to execute a specific
movement or task in their sport.
The SAID principle (specific adapta-
tions to imposed demands) is a term
that helps explain the relationship
between an athlete’s training choices
and their resultant gains in performance.
The SAID principle suggests that that
body’s neuromuscular system will adapt
to the demands imposed upon it (9).
The clean and snatch pull variations are
skill transfer exercises for coaches aim-
ing to improve their athlete’s develop-
ment in weightlifting movements. For
one, the clean and snatch pulls aid in
the strengthening of the musculature
used in the execution of the weightlifting
movements. In addition, these pulling
variations can serve as transitional exer-
cises in learning the full weightlifting
movements by integrating the partial
movement derivatives (pull to knee
and midthigh pull) into a more complete
exercise. As such, these pulling move-
ments accompany the short-to-long, or
partial to full range of motion, approach
to training these movements.
CLEAN AND SNATCH PULL
VARIATIONS VERSUS
TRADITIONAL DEADLIFT
The weightlifting movements of the
snatch and clean, as well as their
derivatives, require high power outputs
to perform and execute properly. They
are speed-dependent exercises in
which the velocity of the movement
determines the level of success. The
clean and snatch pulls are multijoint
complex exercises that relate well to
many sporting movements (3,7).
The traditional deadlift is also a multi-
joint complex movement that requires
large amounts of strength to perform,
but power outputs during near-maximal
attempts are lower than that of
weightlifting derivatives. Observations
of maximal and near-maximal deadlift
attempts have demonstrated power
outputs and energy expenditure levels
at approximately 35% of those observed
during the Olympic-style lifts. Addition-
ally, even when conducted with lighter
loads, the power output of the deadlift
is approximately 80% of that produced
in weightlifting derivatives (3). Thus, the
traditional deadlift’s translation to sport
does not seem to be as effective as the
weightlifting derivatives.
Power is an important indicator of per-
formance in most sport settings, so the
selection of exercises that may promote
the development of power in the most
efficient manner is crucial (5,6). Weight-
lifting movements and their derivatives
are examples of effectiveexercisechoices
when a coach is attempting to establish
strength, power, and rate of force devel-
opment for improved performance
potential in sporting contexts that
require high power outputs.
STARTING POSITION—
PREPARATION
The athlete should approach the bar
on the platform with feet positioned
approximately hip width apart. The
bar should be situated just above the
midfoot while the feet are pointed
slightly outwards.
Once proper foot position has been
acquired, the athlete should squat
down to grip the bar. The appropriate
hand placement for the exercise can
be at clean width or snatch width,
depending on the variation being per-
formed. The “hook grip” (fingers over
thumb) should be used for both the
clean and snatch variations.
Next, the athlete should attempt
to internally rotate the shoulder (gle-
nohumeral) joint to ensure a stable
arm position for the active pulling por-
tion of this movement. Specifically,
this movement of the upper arm
assists in keeping the elbow from pre-
maturely bending during the pulling
phase. Telling the athlete to “turn
theelbowsout”cancuethisarm
position.
After the appropriate grip has been
established, the athletes should posi-
tion their shoulders above and
slightly over the bar while the upper
back remains concave.
Once the athlete completes the task
of ensuring proper foot placement,
grip, and positioning of the upper
extremity, the athlete must focus
on positioning their torso and hips
in the proper location. Specifically,
the hips should be raised slightly
higher than the knees while the
shoulders are raised even higher
than the hips (Figure 1).
Before the athlete begins to pull the
barbell from the ground, they should
have the sensation of remaining tight
in the torso by inhaling deeply and
bracing the muscles of the midsec-
tion, which will result in an inflated
Figure 1. Starting position of pull from
floor with clean grip.
Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 83
chest. Additionally, the athlete should
preserve the concave curvature of the
thoracic spine to maintain the appro-
priate hip angle to maximize the force
produced into the platform.
COMMON MISTAKES OF THE
STARTING POSITION
The athlete may have the hips too
high causing a nearly flat back. From
a side view, the supervising coach
would notice the torso is almost par-
allel to the floor.
In addition to having the hips too
high, a related error is an athlete will
allow the shoulders to pass too far
ahead of the bar.
Last, a common mistake in the start-
ing position is an athlete will allow
the back to round (convex) and not
maintain a “tight” posture (concave)
or body positioning.
EXECUTION OF FIRST PULL
The initial movement should begin
with a sensation of pushing the knees
back (extension).
The hips should rise minimally and
should move back with the knees.
This keeps the angle created by
the torso and the floor constant
throughout the duration of the
movement (Figure 2).
The emphasis should be for the ath-
lete to maintain the concave curvature
in the spine by flexing the posterior
musculature to “raise” the chest along
with extension at the knee.
The trajectory of the bar during the
first pull should be vertical while also
moving back, in concert, with the
shins. This action will eventually
allow the athlete to transition into
the second pull once the bar is past
the knees at midthigh. Asking the
athlete to move the bar “up and in”
can cue this movement pattern.
COMMON MISTAKES OF THE
FIRST PULL
The athlete may initiate the first pull
(off the floor) too forward on the
balls of the feet and toes.
The athlete may incorrectly begin the
first pull by raising the hips vertically.
Instead, the athlete should maintain
the angle of the torso to the floor.
TRANSITION FROM KNEE TO
POWER POSITION (DOUBLE KNEE
BEND)
Once the bar moves directly in front
of the knee during the execution of
the first pull, the lifter must transition
into the power position portion of
the movement.
As the bar is being transitioned from
the knee to the power position, the
path should always be “up and into”
the body. This occurs through the
extension of the back and movement
of the hips and knees forward (dou-
ble knee bend) at the same instant
and tempo.
The bar should stay as close to the
body as possible without touching
the thighs until it reaches the power
position. This allows for continued
acceleration of the bar without any
frictional influences to slow it down.
At the power position, the bar will
make a “brushing” contact with the
thighs before the musculature of the
thigh and hip region extends “up”
(Figure 3).
The path of the bar is only ready to
move upward once the shoulder,
hips, and heels are inline. Of note,
this power position is optimized by
a flexed knee angle ranging between
1208and 1358.
COMMON MISTAKES MADE
DURING THE TRANSITION FROM
KNEE TO POWER POSITION
The athlete may keep the chest
ahead of the bar by not shifting to
an upright position with shoulders,
hips, and heels inline before begin-
ning the second pull.
The athlete may not allow the hips
and knees to shift back through
(double knee bend), once the barbell
passes the knees.
Last, the athlete may begin the sec-
ond pull too early. Specifically, the
barbell will visually appear to be
too low on the thigh by not fully
reaching the proper power position.
EXECUTION OF SECOND PULL
After the athlete has successfully
executed the transition phase, or
double knee bend portion of the lift,
they are now ready to finalize the
movement through completion of
the second pull.
Figure 2. Finish position of first pull
from floor with clean grip.
Figure 3. Midthigh (power) position of
clean grip pull from floor.
Exercise Technique
VOLUME 34 | NUMBER 6 | DECEMBER 20 12
84
The athlete should remain taut to
concentrically extend fully at the
hips, knees, and ankles creating triple
extension (Figure 4).
Before triple extension, the bar
should be at hip height, which is
noted by the vertical positioning of
the chest. Small differences in bar
placement will be present for the
clean and snatch grips, with the
snatch grip presenting the bar higher
on the thigh because of the wide
hand spacing. In addition, athlete
anthropometric differences includ-
ing arm length can create subtle
changes in bar placement on the
thigh within this segment of the lift.
Once the athlete has assumed the
aforementioned power position,
they are now ready to extend the
joints of the hip, knee, and ankle.
This should be done aggressively
and succinctly to maximize barbell
velocity. In addition, the athlete
should be cued to “pop” the shrug
to promote a more complete pull
leading into the full clean or shrug.
In conjunction with the shrug, the
athlete should be taught to slightly
flex the wrists in. This allows the bar-
bell to stay closer to the athlete’s body.
Recall that the elbows should remain
extended, “long and locked,” and have
the appearance of being slightly rotated
outward during the concentric portion
of the lift. Prematurely bending of the
elbow (humeroulnar) joints prevent
the shrug from being fully maximized.
Last, on the descent from full exten-
sion, there should be flexion at the
knee when “landing” to withstand
the weight on the barbell. Again, the
athlete should remain focused on not
allowing any slight anterior pelvic tilt.
The athlete should take the time to
fully return to the set position before
continuing the next repetition.
COMMON MISTAKES OF THE
SECOND PULL
The athlete may push the hips too
far forward instead of continuing to
drive vertically through the heels.
This movement of the hips would
cause a looping of the barbell away
from the athlete’s body.
The athlete may prematurely transi-
tion their body weight to the fore
foot, which will prevent the proper
vertical transference of force through
the heels before extending upward
during the triple extension phase.
The athlete may not finish the full
triple extension of the movement
through the hips, knees, and ankles.
The athlete may initiate the shrug
before full triple extension.
The athlete may not aggressively
complete the shrug at the top of
the second pull.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The clean and snatch pull variations are
weight training exercises that can be
used in most blocks. The priority of
the block will determine the sets and
reps scheme. For instance, during
a strength endurance block, a sport per-
formance professional may use the
clean or snatch pull at a higher repeti-
tion range (3 310) coinciding with ligh-
ter to moderate loads. The prescription
of this exercise during this time can
improve an athlete’s technique for future
heavier blocks, as well as impart power
endurance abilities. However, the coach
should consider an athlete’s capabilities
before prescribing this exercise during
a higher volume phase as technique
could falter because of fatigue.
In addition, the clean and snatch pull
variations can be used in maximal
strength as well as strength power
blocks through the incorporation of
reduced volumes (3 35–3 33) and
increased loads. At this point in
the training year, these weightlifting
derivatives can provide the athlete an
opportunity to stabilize technique
before transitioning into future blocks
where complete weightlifting move-
ments may occur. In conjunction, using
the clean and snatch pulls during
a maximal strength or a strength power
block will give the athlete a chance to
become more efficient at overcoming
a load that is greater than what they
can successfully clean or snatch.
Brad H. DeWeese is the head sport
physiologist at the United States Olympic
Training Center.
Ambrose J. Serrano is an assistant
sport physiologist at the United States
Olympic Committee.
Steven K. Scruggs is a master’s degree
student at East Tennessee State
University.
Matt L. Sams is a master’s degree stu-
dent at East Tennessee State University.
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2. Garhammer J. Power clean kinesiological
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1984.
3. Garhammer J. A review of power output
studies of Olympic and powerlifting:
Methodology, performance prediction, and
evaluation tests. J Strength Cond Res 7:
76–89, 1993.
4. Haff GG, Whitley A, and Potteiger JA.
A brief review: Explosive exercises and
sports performance. Strength Cond J 23:
13–20, 2001.
Figure 4. Finished pull with complete
extension using clean grip.
Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 85
5. Harris GR, Stone MH, O’Bryant HS,
Proulx CM, and Johnson RL. Short-term
performance effects of high power, high
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Exercise Technique
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