CFJ Starr ImprovingClean, Sport, Crossfit
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Improving the Clean
Many strong athletes eventually hit a wall when training the Olympic lifts. Bill Starr
explains how to get back on track when your clean stalls and PRs cease to come.
By Bill Starr
June 2010
The full clean is one of the very best exercises an aspiring athlete can add to his strength program. The main reason
why it is so beneficial to any athlete in any sport is that it involves so many of the large muscle groups in a dynamic
manner. When performed with even adequate form, the full clean works the legs, hips, back, shoulders and arms
in a unique way.
1
of
10
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Improving Clean ...
(continued)
Full cleans done with heavy weights require a great deal
of intense concentration, and this forces the nervous
system to work much harder than when doing more
static and less complicated exercises. The process of
having to think precisely about every facet of the lift taps
deeply into the reserves of the nervous system. This is
why so many athletes feel completely wasted after a
heavy session of full cleans. Exhausting the nervous
system is much more fatiguing than hitting the muscular
system, which is why those just learning the lift must get
plenty of rest and only attack the cleans once a week.
They can be done more often, but the second or third
sessions must be of a lighter nature.
The full clean is a high-skill exercise. It requires a great
deal of coordination, timing, balance, quickness and
total concentration in order to be successful with a max
poundage. As an athlete learns the proper technique and
attempts to perfect it, those athletic attributes become
enhanced and can be utilized in other athletic endeavors.
Cleans are truly an ideal
exercise for every athlete
in every sport.
At both Johns Hopkins and the University of Hawaii, I
had several baseball players who tried doing full cleans
and discovered they had a natural aptitude for them. I
realize not many strength coaches would bother to
expose baseball players to this lift, but I knew of its value
from my own experience. Once I added full cleans to my
program when I first got interested in weight training, I
was able to throw the ball much faster and hit the ball
a lot harder. All the baseball players who took to cleans
expressed that they received same benefits.
I’ve also introduced them to athletes playing a few sports
that are not usually considered dependent on strength,
such as tennis and golf. The results were the same as
with the baseball players. In tennis, the ball suddenly
started traveling faster, and in golf, drives were much
longer. Cleans are truly an ideal exercise for every athlete
in every sport. Plus, they’re part of Olympic weightlifting,
so anyone who has an interest in pursuing that noble
sport should learn how to do them correctly.
Cleans are obviously essential to Olympic weightlifting, but
they also benefit athletes in a host of other sports.
2
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
A heavy clean is an impressive feat of athleticism requiring strength, power, coordination and determination.
Whenever I suggest to an athlete that he should try
full cleans, he invariably balks, stating that they’re
too complicated. Not true at all. In fact, it’s a natural
movement, and one I believe our distance ancestors had
to do out of necessity. It’s much easier to lift a heavy
object by dipping under it than it is to pull the weight
all the way to your shoulders while maintaining an
erect position. That’s why you can handle more weight
in the full clean than you can doing a power clean once
adequate form is established.
So let me once again inform you how to loosen your
shoulders, elbows and wrists so that you can fix the bar
across your frontal deltoids and do a front squat without
any undue pain. I say “undue” because the learning
stages will include some discomfort until all parts of
your body become accustomed to the new form of
stress. Over time this will pass, but only if you persist in
enhancing and maintaining your shoulder flexibility.
Pre-teen, teen and female athletes have no problem
obtaining the needed flexibility, and even most college-
aged athletes achieve it in a short period of time—unless
they have become enamored with the flat bench. Then
the problem is more difficult to remedy. Excessive bench
pressing tends to tighten the shoulders and reduces the
range of motion of the arms. So if you’ve been doing lots
of benches and are serious about learning how to do full
cleans, either drop benches altogether or limit them to
once every other week and keep the reps low—threes,
twos and singles.
Prepare for Battle
Hopefully, you’ve read the article I did for the
CrossFit
Journal
on full cleans (
)
and have been practicing the Drill. If not, read the article
and put the information to use. I will not go into the
specifics again, although I do want to take the time to
reiterate the importance of having enough flexibility in
your shoulders and elbows so that you can do the lift
smoothly without undue pain in these joints. If you
attempt to do cleans without the necessary flexibility,
you’re not going to be as proficient and you’re asking for
an injury.
3
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
But I have found that unless an athlete has some sort
of physical problem that doesn’t allow him or her to do
these stretching movements, flexibility can be achieved.
Naturally, it comes easier to some than to others, yet
that’s true in just about everything in life. And I’ve also
observed that those who had to work extra hard to
gain the needed flexibility in their shoulders were more
appreciative of what they had accomplished and always
included lots of stretching in their workouts.
All you need to do is one very simple exercise to improve
the flexibility in your wrists, elbows and shoulders. Lock
a bar inside a power rack right at the height where you
rack the weight while standing. Should you not have
a power rack, load up a bar on a squat rack with more
weight than you can move. With taped wrists, grip the
bar firmly with one hand, then with your torso perfectly
erect, elevate your elbow just as high as you can and
hold it there for 8-10 seconds, all the while coaxing it a
tad higher. Now do the same thing for your other arm.
For anyone about to embark on the task of learning
the full clean with the goal of moving some impressive
poundages in the future, I recommend taping the wrists
from the very beginning of the journey. Until your
shoulders and elbows have loosened considerably, the
wrists take the brunt of the stress. Wrists are small joints
and are easily dinged, so it only makes sense to give them
some extra protection. And I think it’s smart to continue
to wrap them as you become more proficient in the lift
because no matter how good you become, you’ll always
have off days where misses outnumber the makes, and
those misses play hell with your wrists. Trainers tape
works best, and with practice you’ll learn how to lay it on
so that it supports your wrists firmly but is not so tight
that it cuts off circulation.
Stretch out your shoulders
throughout the day. I used to
do this while waiting for a red
light or while standing in line
at a checkout counter.
Stretching will allow your body to get in the right position to clean big weight. Make it a regular part of your routine.
4
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
A partner can help you go just a little bit further.
Bill Starr recommends all athletes tape their wrists for protection in any Olympic workout.
If you’re extremely tight, do 3 sets for each arm or until
you feel your shoulders, elbows and wrists start to
loosen. These are more effective if you have someone
assist you in elevating your elbows, and for the next step
in the process you must have help.
weight in the clean. And if you did these movements
while you were learning the lift but have since stopped
doing them because you feel your shoulders are loose
enough, put them back into your routine. As you gain
weight, which nearly every strength athlete does, the
added muscle will often limit range of motion if you don’t
do something to prevent it.
Grip the bar with both hands and lift both elbows up as
high as possible. Your helper will apply pressure under
your elbows to push them even higher. By exerting
gentle pressure, your assistant will be able to extend
your elbows a good deal higher than you can on your
own. Again, hold them for 8-10 seconds at the end of
each set. Should you still not feel comfortable on your
first set of front squats or cleans, go back and stretch
your shoulders out even more.
High Pulls: Go Hard and Heavy
I’m assuming that you’re using at least decent form and
have advanced to the point where you’re handling some
testy poundages in the lift. You’re gaining confidence in
your technique. Your routine typically has you doing 6
sets of 3 twice a week. One time you go to max and the
other you simply drill on form with moderate weights.
Every so often, when everything is clicking, you go after
a PR. All is coming up roses for a long time, then you
hit a sticking point. While this is extremely frustrating
to any motivated athlete, it’s simply a part of the overall
process of getting stronger. If it wasn’t, every person who
ever did full cleans would eventually handle 500-plus.
In addition, stretch out your shoulders throughout the
day. I used to do this while waiting for a red light or
while standing in line at a checkout counter. Sure, I got a
number of strange looks, but I’m used to that. I emphasize
this discipline because if your shoulders are not flexible
enough, you’re not going to be able to handle much
5
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Improving the Clean
Many strong athletes eventually hit a wall when training the Olympic lifts. Bill Starr
explains how to get back on track when your clean stalls and PRs cease to come.
By Bill Starr
June 2010
The full clean is one of the very best exercises an aspiring athlete can add to his strength program. The main reason
why it is so beneficial to any athlete in any sport is that it involves so many of the large muscle groups in a dynamic
manner. When performed with even adequate form, the full clean works the legs, hips, back, shoulders and arms
in a unique way.
1
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
Full cleans done with heavy weights require a great deal
of intense concentration, and this forces the nervous
system to work much harder than when doing more
static and less complicated exercises. The process of
having to think precisely about every facet of the lift taps
deeply into the reserves of the nervous system. This is
why so many athletes feel completely wasted after a
heavy session of full cleans. Exhausting the nervous
system is much more fatiguing than hitting the muscular
system, which is why those just learning the lift must get
plenty of rest and only attack the cleans once a week.
They can be done more often, but the second or third
sessions must be of a lighter nature.
The full clean is a high-skill exercise. It requires a great
deal of coordination, timing, balance, quickness and
total concentration in order to be successful with a max
poundage. As an athlete learns the proper technique and
attempts to perfect it, those athletic attributes become
enhanced and can be utilized in other athletic endeavors.
Cleans are truly an ideal
exercise for every athlete
in every sport.
At both Johns Hopkins and the University of Hawaii, I
had several baseball players who tried doing full cleans
and discovered they had a natural aptitude for them. I
realize not many strength coaches would bother to
expose baseball players to this lift, but I knew of its value
from my own experience. Once I added full cleans to my
program when I first got interested in weight training, I
was able to throw the ball much faster and hit the ball
a lot harder. All the baseball players who took to cleans
expressed that they received same benefits.
I’ve also introduced them to athletes playing a few sports
that are not usually considered dependent on strength,
such as tennis and golf. The results were the same as
with the baseball players. In tennis, the ball suddenly
started traveling faster, and in golf, drives were much
longer. Cleans are truly an ideal exercise for every athlete
in every sport. Plus, they’re part of Olympic weightlifting,
so anyone who has an interest in pursuing that noble
sport should learn how to do them correctly.
Cleans are obviously essential to Olympic weightlifting, but
they also benefit athletes in a host of other sports.
2
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
A heavy clean is an impressive feat of athleticism requiring strength, power, coordination and determination.
Whenever I suggest to an athlete that he should try
full cleans, he invariably balks, stating that they’re
too complicated. Not true at all. In fact, it’s a natural
movement, and one I believe our distance ancestors had
to do out of necessity. It’s much easier to lift a heavy
object by dipping under it than it is to pull the weight
all the way to your shoulders while maintaining an
erect position. That’s why you can handle more weight
in the full clean than you can doing a power clean once
adequate form is established.
So let me once again inform you how to loosen your
shoulders, elbows and wrists so that you can fix the bar
across your frontal deltoids and do a front squat without
any undue pain. I say “undue” because the learning
stages will include some discomfort until all parts of
your body become accustomed to the new form of
stress. Over time this will pass, but only if you persist in
enhancing and maintaining your shoulder flexibility.
Pre-teen, teen and female athletes have no problem
obtaining the needed flexibility, and even most college-
aged athletes achieve it in a short period of time—unless
they have become enamored with the flat bench. Then
the problem is more difficult to remedy. Excessive bench
pressing tends to tighten the shoulders and reduces the
range of motion of the arms. So if you’ve been doing lots
of benches and are serious about learning how to do full
cleans, either drop benches altogether or limit them to
once every other week and keep the reps low—threes,
twos and singles.
Prepare for Battle
Hopefully, you’ve read the article I did for the
CrossFit
Journal
on full cleans (
)
and have been practicing the Drill. If not, read the article
and put the information to use. I will not go into the
specifics again, although I do want to take the time to
reiterate the importance of having enough flexibility in
your shoulders and elbows so that you can do the lift
smoothly without undue pain in these joints. If you
attempt to do cleans without the necessary flexibility,
you’re not going to be as proficient and you’re asking for
an injury.
3
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
But I have found that unless an athlete has some sort
of physical problem that doesn’t allow him or her to do
these stretching movements, flexibility can be achieved.
Naturally, it comes easier to some than to others, yet
that’s true in just about everything in life. And I’ve also
observed that those who had to work extra hard to
gain the needed flexibility in their shoulders were more
appreciative of what they had accomplished and always
included lots of stretching in their workouts.
All you need to do is one very simple exercise to improve
the flexibility in your wrists, elbows and shoulders. Lock
a bar inside a power rack right at the height where you
rack the weight while standing. Should you not have
a power rack, load up a bar on a squat rack with more
weight than you can move. With taped wrists, grip the
bar firmly with one hand, then with your torso perfectly
erect, elevate your elbow just as high as you can and
hold it there for 8-10 seconds, all the while coaxing it a
tad higher. Now do the same thing for your other arm.
For anyone about to embark on the task of learning
the full clean with the goal of moving some impressive
poundages in the future, I recommend taping the wrists
from the very beginning of the journey. Until your
shoulders and elbows have loosened considerably, the
wrists take the brunt of the stress. Wrists are small joints
and are easily dinged, so it only makes sense to give them
some extra protection. And I think it’s smart to continue
to wrap them as you become more proficient in the lift
because no matter how good you become, you’ll always
have off days where misses outnumber the makes, and
those misses play hell with your wrists. Trainers tape
works best, and with practice you’ll learn how to lay it on
so that it supports your wrists firmly but is not so tight
that it cuts off circulation.
Stretch out your shoulders
throughout the day. I used to
do this while waiting for a red
light or while standing in line
at a checkout counter.
Stretching will allow your body to get in the right position to clean big weight. Make it a regular part of your routine.
4
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Improving Clean ...
(continued)
A partner can help you go just a little bit further.
Bill Starr recommends all athletes tape their wrists for protection in any Olympic workout.
If you’re extremely tight, do 3 sets for each arm or until
you feel your shoulders, elbows and wrists start to
loosen. These are more effective if you have someone
assist you in elevating your elbows, and for the next step
in the process you must have help.
weight in the clean. And if you did these movements
while you were learning the lift but have since stopped
doing them because you feel your shoulders are loose
enough, put them back into your routine. As you gain
weight, which nearly every strength athlete does, the
added muscle will often limit range of motion if you don’t
do something to prevent it.
Grip the bar with both hands and lift both elbows up as
high as possible. Your helper will apply pressure under
your elbows to push them even higher. By exerting
gentle pressure, your assistant will be able to extend
your elbows a good deal higher than you can on your
own. Again, hold them for 8-10 seconds at the end of
each set. Should you still not feel comfortable on your
first set of front squats or cleans, go back and stretch
your shoulders out even more.
High Pulls: Go Hard and Heavy
I’m assuming that you’re using at least decent form and
have advanced to the point where you’re handling some
testy poundages in the lift. You’re gaining confidence in
your technique. Your routine typically has you doing 6
sets of 3 twice a week. One time you go to max and the
other you simply drill on form with moderate weights.
Every so often, when everything is clicking, you go after
a PR. All is coming up roses for a long time, then you
hit a sticking point. While this is extremely frustrating
to any motivated athlete, it’s simply a part of the overall
process of getting stronger. If it wasn’t, every person who
ever did full cleans would eventually handle 500-plus.
In addition, stretch out your shoulders throughout the
day. I used to do this while waiting for a red light or
while standing in line at a checkout counter. Sure, I got a
number of strange looks, but I’m used to that. I emphasize
this discipline because if your shoulders are not flexible
enough, you’re not going to be able to handle much
5
of
10
Copyright © 2010 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]