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The power clean has been part of the arsenal of some of the most
successful strength & conditioning programs all over America for quite
some time now. Football programs such as Nebraska's, Florida's, WSU's,
Texas' and Tennessee's have
pioneered the use of the power clean and are renowned for producing some of the strongest and most
powerful athletes year after year. The situation is even more pro-power
clean when we look at track and field programs, since virtually all field
athletes in the country are using the power clean as an important staple
of their training program.
In fact the power clean is often regarded as a "miracle" exercise.
It is touted as being the best way to develop applicable power and
strength for most sports (especially power dependant sports such as
football, basketball, rugby, track & field, volleyball, etc.). I will
be straight with you right from the start: I'm an olympic weightlifter and
an olympic lifting coach. However I don't believe that the power
clean is the best exercise to develop strength and power (power being
regarded as explosive strength or speed-strength). That's right! I believe
that there is a much superior exercise than the power clean. What is it?
It's the power snatch.
The power snatch is a close relative to the power clean and both
are derivative from the competitive olympic lifts (clean & jerk,
snatch). Structurally both exercises are similar with one major
difference: in the power clean you lift the bar from the ground to your
shoulders while in the power snatch you lift the bar from the floor to
over your head in a single movement. Obviously, the power snatch requires
a greater explosion because you must create more momentum for the bar to
be successfully fixed overhead. There is also less room for arm and lower
back pull in the power snatch. Sometimes an individual will execute a
power clean that has much more in common with a cheated reverse curl than
to an explosive olympic lift! However in the snatch, relying on arm pull
and back bend will result in a missed lift most of the time. Thus to be
successful with the power snatch you really must emphasize hips and leg
drive which is more specific to most sports.
This is the sequence for the power snatch.
Here are the key points:
1.
a) Shoulders above, or
forward of the bar
b) Arms extended
c)
Traps stretched
d)
Back arched and tight, chest pointing forward
e)
Toes directly under the bar
f)
Tights approximately parallel to the ground
2
a)
The bar is lifted only with the legs at this point
b)
Angle of the back remains the same
c) Arms still fully extended
d)
Traps still stretched
e)
Chest still pointing forward
f)
The Shoulders are kept forward of the bar
3
a) The torso starts to straighten
b) The legs continue to
extend
c) The bar is kept
very close to the body (a slight grazing of the tight is
okay)
d) The shoulders
are above the bar
4
a) There is a rebending of the knees (more or less
depending on the lifter)
b) The
torso straightens
5,6
a)
POWERFUL explosion upward (not backward!)
b)
The legs fully extend
c)
The traps contract forcefully
d)
Basically the lifter tries to "jump up"
e)
The bar is kept close to the body
f)
The arms bend
somewhat, but that's because of the momentum of the bar, not arm
pull
7
a) The lifter squat just low enough the catch the bar overhead with
arms fully locked
b) The lifter contracts his traps and shoulders to
stabilize the bar
8
a) Once
the bar is stable, the lifter stands up and the lift is
completed
What are the benefits of the power snatch over the
power clean? Well beside the greater involvement of the legs and hips
there are many advantages to the power snatch.
a)
There is a greater power output during the power snatch because
lighter weights and more explosion (acceleration) are used. Why has the power snatch a greater power
output than the power clean? Well power is generally considered to be the
rate of work and can be either expressed as P = W / time , P = F d / time or P = FV. Regardless of the formula used
(which are all derivative of each other) we can say that power output can
be influenced by the force output (F = MA), the velocity of the movement
and the distance traveled by the bar. In the power snatch the velocity is
greater than in the power clean and the bar has through a greater
distance. As for the force output I would say that there isn't a
significant difference between the power clean and the power snatch. The
power snatch requires more acceleration (greater A factor in the F = MA
formula) and the power clean requires more force (greater F factor). As a
rule of the thumb we could say that the power clean requires a greater
force output of around 20% while the power snatch requires a similarly
greater acceleration. So for a sport where explosion, acceleration and
speed is needed, the power snatch is a superior
exercise.
b)
The power snatch requires a greater control of an object in
movement in space.
c)
The power snatch is the safest of the olympic lifts because of the
lighter load used thus of the lesser stress on the tendons and
ligaments.
d)
The power snatch requires more coordination than the power clean so
it a great way to introduce the power clean.
e)
The power snatch really relies on the full triple extension (ankle,
knee, hips) which has a great transfer to many athletic
movements.
f)
The power snatch is probably the most motivating exercise to do.
When done right is feels effortless and it is very satisfying to lift a
load straight over one's head.
g)
The power snatch builds confidence for the power clean and the
jerk.
In conclusion, I would strongly recommend that the
power snatch should be part of any good strength program. It is one of the
best way to develop the capacity to generate power, it is the safest of
the olympic lifts and it is the most fun and motivating one to
do!
I do not recommend dropping the power clean in
favor of the power snatch, far from it! The power clean remains a
fantastic strength and power builder. However including both the power
snatch and the power clean in a training program is definitely a way to
improve the quality of your athletes.
Just keep in mind that the objective of the power
snatch and the olympic lifts in general for the athlete is an increase in
power output. For that reason, maximum loads should not be attempted.
Acceleration not the load should be the goal. As such, a load of 75-85%
for 3-6 reps is ideal for high school athletes. Increase the amount of
weight only if acceleration and proper technique can be maintained for the
whole set. This will help you build healthier and more
powerful athletes.
Do you need
to know more?
Here's a list of
recommended readings :
1)
To help you better understand and coach the olympic lifting
technique:
-
Zhekov IP and others, Weightlifting Training and Technique, Livonia
Michigan, Sportivny Press, 1992
-
Roman RA., The Training of the Weightlifter 2nd ed.,
Livonia michigan, Sportivny Press, 1988.
-
Drechsler A., The Weightlifting Encyclopedia, A is A Communication,
1998
2)
To help you understand how to plan and periodize olympic
weightlifting into a sport-specific strength training
program:
-
Roman RA., The Training of the Weightlifter 2nd ed.,
Livonia michigan, Sportivny Press, 1988.
-
Laputin NP and Oleshko VG., Managing the Training of Weightlifters.
Livonia Michigan, Sportivny Press, 1982
-
Verkhoshansky YV., Programming and Organization of Training,
Livonia Michigan, Sportivny Press, 1988
-
Drechsler A., The Weightlifting Encyclopedia, A is A Communication,
1998
Note: All those books and several other great
ones can be ordered online via the internet at http://www.elitefts.com/ Plus, you can order very good olympic lifting
videos via the internet at http://www.ironmind.com/ | 
By: Christian Thibaudeau B.Sc.